If you are planning a trip to the United States, be prepared to wait a long time for a visa appointment.
The US Embassy and Consulates in India had yesterday announced that due to the high volume of visa requests, it would not be able to accommodate all travellers prior to their planned travel dates, even if the purpose of travel is time sensitive. For most routine non-immigrant visa appointments, the wait time is unusually high.
How long is the wait for a US visa appointment?
A tool to check the average wait time for non-immigrant visa appointments on the US Embassy and Consulates website shows that an applicant in New Delhi will have to wait 833 calendar days for a Visitor Visa appointment. For Student/Exchange Visitor Visas, the wait time is marginally better at 430 calendar days.
The situation is similar in Mumbai, where the average wait time for a Visitor Visa appointment is 848 calendar days. The waiting period is 430 calendar days for Student/Exchange Visitor visas and 392 calendar days for all other non-immigrant visas in Mumbai.
In Chennai, applicants may wait an estimated 780 days for a Visitor Visa appointment. The waiting time for Student/Exchange Visitor Visas is 29 days.
The wait time for a Visitor Visa appointment in Hyderabad is lowest at 582 days. Wait time for Student/Exchange Visitor Visas is 430 days and for all other non-immigrant visas it is 219 days.
Please note: These are estimated wait times that can change weekly based on actual workload and staffing.
Does it apply to all visas?
The tool to check visa appointment wait times is for people who have applied for a non-immigrant visa to come to the United States as a temporary visitor. It gives an estimate of the number of days an applicant will have to wait for a visa appointment.
Why the long wait?
“Advance travel planning and early visa application are important,” the US Embassy warned. It attributed the long waiting time to pandemic-related disruptions, reduced staffing and high demand for visas across all categories.
Some people can still qualify for an expedited interview appointment “if there is an urgent, unforeseen situation such as a funeral, medical emergency, or school start date,” the embassy said. However, travel for the purpose of attending weddings and graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, participating in an annual business or academic conference, or for last-minute tourism, will not qualify for an expedited visa interview.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
