‘Good news’ will come from US in 2025, America will take this big decision regarding visa slots! Indians will benefit

US Visa Slot: The long wait to get a visa to go to America is about to end. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that America will increase visa appointment slots by 1 million next year. The government has decided to increase visa slots because millions of people are going to visit America in the coming year. America is preparing to host major international events like FIFA World Cup, Olympics and Rugby Championship.
Referring to the increase in the application process, Secretary of State Blinken said, “More appointments will be made this time than the record number of appointments last year.” In fiscal year 2024, the US issued 1.15 crore visas, of which 85 lakh were visitor visas. The Foreign Minister said, “This (visa appointments) will increase by 10 percent compared to last year. The waiting time for visa interviews for first-time visitor visa interviewers has reduced to an average of 60 days.”

Long visa waiting time has become a cause of concern

The time taken to obtain a visa has long been a cause of concern for people thinking of traveling to America. This wait became even longer when people had to face the Covid pandemic. Even though visa waiting times have reduced, challenges still remain for Indian travelers. One has to wait for 300-320 days to get a tourist visa in India. At the time of Covid it had reached 900 days.

What is the visa waiting time for Indians?

There are two main categories of visitor visas in America, one of which is B-1 visa, which is given for business related purposes. Whereas the second one is B-2 visa, which is available for tourism purposes. Through both these visas one can stay in America temporarily. According to data till November 1, 2024, visa waiting time in US embassies in India varies from embassy to embassy. Let us know how long Indians have to wait to get a visa.

B-1/B-2 Visa with Interview: People applying for B-1/B-2 visa for the first time have to reach the embassy and give an interview. The visa interview timings for them are as follows at the US Embassy in different cities of India:

• New Delhi: 94 days
• Mumbai: 463 days
• Hyderabad: 437 days
• Kolkata: 499 days
• Chennai: 477 days

B-1/B-2 visa with interview waiver: Applicants who have previously traveled to the United States or meet the age eligibility criteria are exempt from the interview to obtain a visa. The waiting time for obtaining a visa in this category is as follows:

• New Delhi: 214 days
• Kolkata: 122 days

What will be the benefit of increasing visa slots?

Indian citizens have to pay an application fee of 185 dollars (about 15 thousand rupees) to get B-1/B-2 visa of America. These fees are non-refundable, that is, once the form is submitted, the money will not be refunded. At present, it can be said that if 10 lakh visa appointment slots are increased, it will directly benefit Indians, who can easily get a visa to America and travel there. With the increase in visa slots, families of Indian workers and students studying in America will be able to meet them.