New Delhi: As part of a larger effort to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants, the United States Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days.
The US Embassy in the national Capital and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews.
The Mission will continue to open additional slots for appointments to take place on select Saturdays, a press release stated.
Additional interview days apart, the Mission has taken several other initiatives to address the COVID-caused backlog in visa processing as follows:
* The US Department of State has implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous American visas.
* Between January and March 2023, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase processing capacity.
* The Department of State is also increasing number of consular officers permanently assigned to the Embassy and Consulates.
* The US Mission in India released more than 250,000 additional B1/B2 appointments.
* Consulate General Mumbai also extended its weekday operating hours to make space for additional appointments.
The US Mission in India will be at full staffing by this summer, with visa processing expected to return to pre-COVID levels.
“Our consular teams across India are putting in the extra hours to meet the needs of international travelers and bring down wait times. This is part of a Mission wide effort to find innovative solutions to facilitate travel to the United States,” said Mumbai Consular Chief John Ballard.
The Consulate General Mumbai adjudicates the most visa applications in India and is one of the largest visa operations in the world.
Nuapada: At least 80 people were arrested during a massive crackdown on illegal gambling activities…
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has transferred Special Secretary, Planning and Convergence, Chitra Arumugam and posted…
Sambhal: A violent clash erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Sunday after a group opposed…
Mumbai: Television actress Hina Khan, who is battling breast cancer, recently met host Salman Khan…
Mumbai: Following reports of his alleged link-up with bassist Mohini Dey, renowned music composer AR…
Mumbai: The love story of actors Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma has not been clandestine.…
Puri: Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has received the report of the Ratna Bhandar’s GPR-GPS…
With his debut novel ‘The Other Side of the Rainbow’ published recently, Niranjan Nayak, an…