The wait for a U.S. visa interview can be quite frustrating. More so when certain “agents” are able secure an early interview date while genuine applicants who diligently follow instructions from U.S. Consulates, are forced to wait endlessly.

In a welcome move, the non-immigrant visa appointment system has been modified. Now the applicant or representative will have to validate CAPTCHA prior to selecting the biometric and the interview dates. This should aid in clearing up interview dates for genuine visa applicants.

Additionally, during a recent Facebook Live session, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, Mr. Don Heflin, stated that the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India, will not announce the availability of new appointment dates in advance to prevent certain visa “agents” from booking appointment slots in bulk, thereby depriving genuine applicants from reserving an appointment date.

A recording of this session can be found here. We hope that this system is effective and applicants are able to schedule an appointment directly.