US visa: If you are planning to go to the US now, one of the biggest hurdles is getting an appointment for a visa interview with a wait time nearing 1,000 days. However, for a few categories, the appointments can be secured just within a week or two.
As per the US Department of State, if you are applying for B1/B2 visas from Chennai, the wait time is as less as 1 calendar day and from Delhi, it is 16 days.
These visas are meant for those who want to enter the US temporarily for business (visa category B1), for tourism (visa category B2), or for a combination of both purposes.
Meanwhile, if you are seeking a visa under the C, D, C1/D category, the wait time for the interview from Hyderabad is just 1 Calendar Day. These visas are meant for nonimmigrants working on board commercial sea.
US making every effort to reduce interview wait time for visas
Last week, the US state department asserted that they are making every effort to reduce the waiting time for a visa interview appointment in India and assured that it is likely to reach pre-pandemic processing levels in coming days.
Addressing the growing concern over the backlog of visa applications, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that he certainly understands the frustrations of those who have to wait for a long time.
As of November 2022, the median worldwide wait time for a tourist visa (B1/B2) interview appointment was about two months, and applicants with urgent travel needs who meet certain criteria can apply for an emergency appointment, usually available within days.
“Visa processing is recovering faster than projected and over the coming year, we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels,” Price said.
