US visa appointment rules: A key decision has been taken to reduce the waiting time for US visa interview appointments. This will benefit Indians.
–Galla S Kiran Kumar, Bureau Chief“We are making some changes to the rules to make visa interview appointments transparent for everyone. We are making some changes to the rules to reduce waiting times. These will come into effect from January 1, 2025. Those applying for a non-immigrant visa can first schedule an interview appointment at a location of their choice. If for any reason you need to reschedule, you can change the schedule once without any additional fee. After that, if you miss the appointment or want to reschedule a second time, you will have to book a new appointment. You will have to pay the application fee again,” the embassy said in a statement
The embassy said that this decision was taken to simplify and expedite the appointment process. Applicants are advised to attend interviews at the scheduled time. It is known that for some time now, Indians have been having to wait for months for US visa appointments. Currently, to get an interview appointment for a B1/B2 visitor visa, one has to wait 438 days in Mumbai. In Hyderabad, this time is 429 days. Meanwhile, for a student visa appointment, one has to wait 115 days in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the US has already simplified the H-1B visa rules. It has also made it easier for F-1 student visas to be converted to H-1B visas. This will allow faster processing of applications for those who have previously been approved for H-1B visas. These rules will come into effect from January 17.
