Visa Appointments For B1/B2 Can Take Up To 14 Months

In addition to New Delhi and Mumbai, there are backlog issues at all US embassies overseas.

Those on visas in the US and forced to travel during the middle of the pandemic back in 2020 must have thought it was the worst time to travel.

Only if they had anticipated that things would be grim even as we approach mid-2022. India's work-based visa holders and those who wish to obtain a B1/B2 visa or renew an expired one continue to face challenges when applying for a visa.

Individuals have to encounter massive waits before they can secure an appointment at a consulate or can make use of the drop box facility that was initiated to ease the Covid induced backlogs.

New York based Dilli Raj Bhatta, co-founder and lead attorney at Apply USA Visa, says the biggest issue is that the individuals are not getting appointments to get their visas stamped on time.

Additionally, the drop box system is not effective and interviews are not being scheduled promptly. The B1/B2 visas, in any case, can take up to 14 months before applicants get an appointment with the consulate, he says.

Things look less than encouraging for work based visa holders too. Even those with approved work petitions are unable to move ahead to join their work or jobs.

The drop box visa facility, which was initiated to help these backlogs, seems to be ineffective too.

Talking about the wait times, Bhatta says, “In the worst case scenarios, some people wait for more than 12-14 months to get their B1/B2 visa interviews and others do not even get an appointment.”