Visa applications wait time: More Indians hitting the US than ever before, it's a worldwide problem: US Embassy

Clarifying on the long wait times for US visas, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Don Heflin on September 29 via a Q&A session said that more Indians are hitting the US than ever. The visa applications are at a record high.

"We are recovering from COVID-19 and post-COVID scenario and other embassies have very similar wait times. We are also getting some help as Washington is coming out with temporary counsellors and personnel to cut down wait times," Heflin added.

Regarding the question on the next time slot opening for student visas, Heflin said that the embassy is going to run from late November to early December. "We are working on the first half from mid-October to second half till late-November," he added.

The live session comes amid a high volume of visa requests/applications and the US Embassy's inability to accommodate all travellers prior to their planned travel dates, even if the purpose of travel is time sensitive.

When asked why is the wait time so long in India and if it is so only for the country, Heflin replied it is a worldwide problem. "When compared to US embassies around the world like Mexico City, Columbia etc, they are about this long too."

US visa services are trying to clear a backlog after Washington the US halted almost all visa processing worldwide in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

Indians make up a large proportion of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas granted to skilled foreign workers, many in the tech industry. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Earlier, the US Embassy had said that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. Hence, it was working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible.

The US Mission will extend the validity of their payment (known as the MRV fee) until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.

On September 8, the embassy had said the US Mission in India has issued a record-breaking 82,000 student visas in 2022 to date, adding that Indian students received more US student visas than those from any other country.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken  had raised the issue of the backlog of visa applications from India to which the top American diplomat said he is sensitive to the matter and had a plan to address it.

"It is also in our mutual interest to facilitate the development and mobility of talent. We agreed that impediments over this should be addressed," Jaishankar told reporters.