Mr Viral
Indian travellers planning to visit the United States will now have some good news to cheer up. As per the latest development, starting January 1, 2025, nonimmigrant US visa applicants will be allowed to reschedule their interview appointment once without incurring any additional fee. However, if an applicant misses the appointment or needs to reschedule a second time, they will be required to book a new appointment and repay the application fee, according to a statement from the US embassy.
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The embassy clarified that the purpose of this change is to reduce wait times and offer a fair visa application process. The purpose of visitor visas is to allow temporary entry into the United States. These consist of the B-1 for business travel, the B-2 for tourism, and a B-1/B-2 combo of the two.
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As per the records, current wait times for B1/B2 Visas as of December 19, at various US consulates across India are significantly long, such as:
Hyderabad: 429 days
Kolkata: 436 days
Mumbai: 438 days
Delhi: 441 days
Chennai: 479 days
Since postponing repeatedly can cause the process to drag on longer, the embassy advises candidates to carefully choose their appointment dates and show up on time. “Everyone will be able to schedule appointments more quickly and easily thanks to these developments. To maintain the system’s effectiveness and equity for all, applicants are encouraged to show up for their appointments,” the embassy continued.
Despite these measures, it remains unclear how significantly wait times will improve.
Increasing the number of visa appointment slots: In 2025, the US Government intends to create one million more slots. “We will add an additional one million visa appointments in the financial year 2025. That’s on top of the record number of appointments we had this past year,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Further reports add that 8.5 million of the 11.5 million visas that the US issued in 2024 were for visitors, a 10% increase over the year before.
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Cost of a US Visitor Visa: The application fee for a US B1/B2 visitor visa is $185, approximately INR 15,730, and is non-refundable.
It is anticipated that these modifications, along with more appointment times, will expedite the visa application process and meet the growing demand, providing some respite to Indian tourists who are suffering from lengthy wait times.
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