Indians can now get visa appointment at US embassies abroad

According to the US Embassy in India, Indians travelling overseas can obtain a visa appointment at the US Embassy or consulate of their destination. It highlighted Thailand as an example, stating that the government has increased appointment capacity for Indians seeking B1 and B2 visas (business and travel).
The notification was made on Twitter by the US Embassy in India.

In a tweet on February 3, the US Embassy in India stated, “Do you have upcoming international travel? If so, you may be able to get a visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your destination. For example, @USEmbassyBKK has opened B1/B2 appointment capacity for Indians who will be in Thailand in the coming months.”

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in India in another tweet informed that they have processed more than 1 Lakh visa applications. It further said that their team will grow this spring.

The US Embassy in a tweet on February 4 stated, “This January, the U.S. Mission to India processed over 1 Lakh visa applications. That’s more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! And we aren’t done yet. Our capacity will continue to increase as our team grows this spring.”

Earlier on January 21, the US Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants. The US Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews.

“On January 21, the U.S. Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a larger effort to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants,” the US Embassy in India announced in a statement.

According to a statement made by the US Embassy in India, the US Mission will continue to open extra slots for appointments on select Saturdays. These additional interview days are one of the steps taken to address the visa processing backlog created by COVID-19.

For applicants with previous US visas, the US Department of State has established remote processing of interview waiver cases. According to the announcement, dozens of temporary consular employees from Washington and other embassies would come in India between January and March to improve processing capacity.

The US Department of State is also boosting the number of consular officials posted to the Embassy and Consulates on a permanent basis. According to a statement issued by the US Embassy in India, the US Mission in India released more than 250,000 more B1/B2 appointments.

The Consulate General of Mumbai has recently extended its weekday operation hours to accommodate more appointments. According to the announcement, the US Mission in India will be fully staffed by this summer, and visas will be processed at numbers comparable to those prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.