Recently, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs at the US Embassy in India, Mr. Don Heflin, conducted a Q&A session via Facebook live on September 29, 2022. Addressing the delay in processing visa applications and long wait times, Mr. Heflin stated that staff shortages at U.S. consulates across India is the reason for existing delays, which they hope will likely be resolved within a year.

Shortage of Trained Staff Causing Visa Delays

Mr. Heflin explained that the recovery from COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 staffing issues are currently underway with staffing at about 70% capacity and likely to reach 100% staffing within a year. The U.S. Department of State (DOS), which has jurisdiction over all U.S. consulates, is in the process of transferring temporary vice-consuls to India to help adjudicate cases and reduce processing times.
Priority for F1 / M1 Student Visas and J1 Visas

According to Mr. Heflin, the U.S. Mission in India has issued over 82,000 student visas in 2022 (until September, 2022), adding that Indian students received more U.S. student visas than any other country in the world. As for student visa applications, the U.S. consulates will conduct the visa interviews from mid-November until the end of December. As briefed by Mr. Heflin, the first half of the appointment slots were made available in mid-October and the rest in mid-November 2022. Slots for the F-1 and M-1 visas (for non-immigrants wishing to pursue academic and vocational courses in the U.S.) will be available in the near future. However, appointments for J visas (non-immigrant visas for individuals to participate in international exchange programs) will be available in small numbers every week, separately. Visa appointments for F2 applicants for dependents of the F1 primary student will open at the same time as for the F1 visa applicants.

B-1/B-2 Visa Appointment Delays

The longest appointment wait times are for first-time B-1/B-2 visa applicants. Mr. Heflin indicated that the consulates are working to reduce these wait times, along with wait times for other visa categories. In the meantime, he suggested that B-1/B-2 visa applicants should schedule the earliest appointment available, even if the date is a long way off. The applicant should be able to reschedule to an earlier interview appointment when the same is made available.

H and L Visa Slots Available from Oct. 2022 Onwards

For interview waiver or “drop box” cases, Mr. Heflin stated that over 100,000 new appointments have been made available since mid-October 2022 for H and L visa applicants for the fiscal year 2023. These will be real appointments and not “placeholders”. With reference to the validity of an application fee paid earlier, Mr. Heflin clarified that visa applicants must schedule the visa appointment within the year in order for the visa fee to be valid. The appointment does not necessarily have to be within the year and the visa applicant can change the date if an earlier visa appointment slot becomes available.

Overwhelming Demand for Expedited Appointments

Mr. Heflin stated that the U.S. consulates in India have been receiving hundreds of expedite appointment requests every week, and given this high volume, only those applicants who strictly qualify for an expedited appointment will be granted one. The “criteria” for expedited appointments include attending the funeral of an immediate family member, a medical emergency pertaining to an immediate family member, or the need to attend a truly urgent business matter.

Third Country Nationals Can Apply at Other U.S. Consulates

Indian residents may apply for visas at a U.S. embassy in another country if that embassy is currently accepting third country nationals (TCNs). Mr. Heflin stated that an applicant’s chances are better if the applicant qualifies for a “drop box” case for the renewal of an existing visa as a TCN, as applying for a visa as a TCN tends to have a greater risk of denial. One must remember that in many cases, Indian nationals would likely require a tourist or other visa to enter the third country just to attend the visa appointment. We have heard that countries like Singapore, the U.K. or Canada have been helpful as their visa appointment dates for H1Bs or L1s is much shorter.

Rescheduling Appointments

As of this writing, applicants can reschedule an appointment up to four times. During his briefing, Mr. Heflin indicated that this may be restricted to two times in the near future.

Conclusion

The DOS hopes to keep working towards reducing visa interview wait times worldwide caused by closures during the pandemic. More information on this topic is available here. As U.S. consular posts across India continue to work towards achieving or exceeding pre-pandemic levels of visa processing, we will post the latest updates on MurthyIndiaDotCom. You are welcome to refer your family and friends and of course, subscribe to the free and helpful information in the MurthyIndiaBulletin to get educated and empowered to better take care of you and your family on U.S. immigration law matters. It is our commitment to support the immigrant community.