The average waiting time for a visitor visa is over 500 days i.e. almost one and half years. Meaning, if one applies for a visa this month then the appointment date is expected by 2024.
Are you planning for a trip to the United States? But, the visa appointment date is likely to come next year. Yes, Indians will have to wait until 2024 to successfully book a visitor visa appointment. With countries easing of Covid-19 restrictions and resumption of regular international flights, many Indians are gearing up to travel abroad.
The average waiting time for a visitor visa is over 500 days i.e. almost one and half years. Meaning, if one applies for a visa this month then the appointment date is expected by 2024.
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According to the US Department of State travel Travel.State.Gov website, the appointment for visitor visa in the US consulate at New Delhi is 582 calendar days and 471 days for student visas. In Mumbai, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 517 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 10 days for a student visa.
In Hyderabad, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 518 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 479 days for a student visa. In Kolkata, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 587 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 2 days for a student visa.
Speaking to VOA news, David Bier, the associate director of immigration policy at the libertarian Cato Institute said that the two-year, pandemic-induced lockdown of US consulates around the world has halted visa services.
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“They just stopped doing work during COVID. And that produced what we're seeing now, which is year-plus waits, massive backlogs and all the problems associated with that," he told VOA.
According to a TOI report, apart from the US, visa application and processing are taking a long time for other countries like the UK, Schengen states, Canada etc.
Earlier on May 30, 2022, Danish Embassy in India announced the temporary suspension of applications for short-stay visas and residence permits. However, it was reopened on July 6.
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Meanwhile, the United Kingdom will soon resume the Priority Visa (PV) and Super Priority Visa (SPV) services for new applications under the sponsored work routes and student visas.
Apart from the novel coronavirus outbreak, some counties have tightened the rule for granting visas. The process now involves a few more checks, for example, verification of the vaccination certificates.
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In June 2022, The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had discussions with Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, UK and USA about streamlining student visas to Indian nationals.