Traveling to the US? Now, use a third-country route for a quick visa appointment
2 min readThe US embassy in India announced today that Indians planning international travel can now schedule a quick visa appointment at consulates in those nations to reduce visa processing delays.
The embassy gave Thailand as an example, stating that the island nation has opened up capacity for B1/B2 appointments for Indians who will be in the country in the coming months. In Bangkok, there is only a 14-day waiting period for B1/B2 interviews.
“Do you have any upcoming trips to other countries? If this is the case, you might be able to schedule an appointment for a visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your destination. For instance, the US embassy stated in a tweet that “@USEmbassyBKK has opened B1/B2 appointment capacity for Indians who will be in Thailand in the coming months.”
Use a third-country route for a quick visa appointment to travel to the US
To speed up visa processing, the embassy started a slew of new initiatives last month, including scheduling special interviews for first-time applicants and increasing the number of consular staff. Interviews have also begun to be conducted on selected Saturdays by the mission.
In addition, the US State Department has made it possible for applicants with prior US visas. To have their interview waiver cases processed remotely.
[Applications for US visa renewal can now be submitted through dropbox]
Concerns regarding the lengthy waiting period for first-time visa applicants have increased. In October of last year, the waiting period for first-time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years.
Business and tourist visa (B-1, B-2) wait times continue to be high. Reaching nearly two years in most consulates across the nation. Even though the wait time for a student visa (F-1) has stabilized to approximately 90 days.