US tweaks visa appointment rules to cut long wait times in India

NEW DELHI: Nonimmigrant US visa applicants will from the New Year will be able to reschedule their interview appointment once without a fee. But those missing an appointment or rescheduling a second time will need to book a new appointment and repay the application fee, the US embassy said in a statement Wednesday. These changes are being made from Jan 1, 2025, the embassy says, to “make sure everyone has a fair chance at getting a visa interview appointment and to reduce wait times”.
The wait time for a B1/B2 (visitor) visa as of Wednesday was 429 days in Hyderabad; 436 in Kolkata; 438 in Mumbai, 441 in Delhi and 479 in Chennai, according to the US State Department website.
“Starting January 1, 2025, you can still schedule your first nonimmigrant visa appointment at the location of your choice. If you need to reschedule for any reason, you will be able to do that one time. If you miss your appointment or need to reschedule a second time, you’ll need to book a new appointment and repay your application fee. Since wait times are long, please make sure you can attend on the date you’ve selected,” the embassy said.
“These changes will make it easier and faster for everyone to get appointments. We encourage applicants to attend their scheduled appointments to keep the process efficient and fair for everyone,” it added. How effective these changes are in cutting wait times remains to be seen.
Anil Kalsi, VP of Travel Agents Federation of India, said: “Before this change, the visa fee would be valid for a year and in that period one could reschedule appointment up to three times. Now this changes from Jan 1. The Americans must have their own reasons and inputs to make this change Hopefully this should further reduce the wait period.” Sources say the move could be to curb the practice of people “misusing” rescheduling of appointments and frequent cancellations/no shows for visa interviews.
For example, during student season a number of people reportedly get appointments through touts after failing to do so on their own. ‘Perhaps the change is to curb these things,” said travel industry insiders.