U.S. Consulates in India are experiencing considerable wait times for nonimmigrant visa interview appointments. Applicants in some of the most popular nonimmigrant visa categories (such as H-1B and L-1) are currently facing wait times of 75 days in Chennai, 93 days in Hyderabad, 96 days in Kolkata, 88 days in Mumbai, and 100 days in New Delhi. The increased wait is due to a significant increase in demand as many Indian nationals based in the U.S. travel home over the popular summer months.
The Department of State has warned that the situation may worsen, rather than improve, over the coming months, although it has reached out to the Indian Government for approval to add more Consular positions to try to alleviate the wait.
Indian nationals who do not need to travel abroad are being urged to remain in the U.S. until the backlogs have eased. However, if you are an Indian national who must travel internationally and you require a new travel visa in order to re-enter the U.S., you might consider the following tips:
1. Plan months in advance!
2. Ascertain if you are eligible to apply for your travel visa in another country (this will depend on your visa category and whether the country where you wish to apply accepts third country nationals).
3. See if you are eligible for an Interview Visa Waiver in India (this generally requires that you previously held a travel visa in the same visa category, that travel visa was issued in India, and it is still valid or recently expired).
4. Request an expedited Consular appointment (for business-related requests, you will need to make a solid case for urgent travel, including potential impacts on your business and an explanation as to why advance planning was not possible).
We urge current clients who wish to obtain a travel visa in the coming months to notify us as soon as possible so that we can best help you. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.