Several H-1B Holders Are Unable To Visit Home

US visa appointment crunch has made it difficult for desi visa seekers and Indians with H-1B visas working in the US to come home on personal visits.

Because they are not getting timely appointments to get their passports stamped at US consulates in India to return to US. As a result, several of them are deferring visits to India.

Several Indians working in the US on H-1B and their families in India spoke about the difficulties they face due to long visa appointment wait times.

“If an H-1B visa holder comes to Mumbai, the passport stamping appointment can come for any city like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or Delhi. Then on a short trip, a day or two — apart from a lot of money — is spent in going there for the purpose,” said an IT professional.

The US Embassy spokesperson said on this issue: “The US government does not require applicants to choose a specific location for their visa appointments. Visa applicants can choose the city where their visa application will be adjudicated.”

“What makes it agonizing is that both parents and children are desperate for a reunion after Covid, but that intent is not translating into reality. The chaos is at both ends. Children (working in the US on H-1B) cannot visit India. Parents here are unable to be with their children in the USA because of excruciatingly long visa appointment dates.,” said a Mumbai-based father of a professional working in the US.