US Embassy's Inability To Provide Dates Impacts H-1B Travel.

H-1B visa holders in the US face challenges in planning international travel because they must have a valid visa stamp on their passports before they return to the US.

There are long delays in getting dates at the US embassy and consulates, even if many of them are eligible for interview waivers. Besides the unavailability of dates for visa interviews or even for submitting documents in cases where interviews are being waived off, there is a risk of administrative delays or security checks that could further delay the processing time of H-1-B visas.

Applicants for non-immigration visas applying for US visas may be eligible for interview waivers if they meet certain criteria. Waivers apply to temporary workers who need H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, or Q visas under certain conditions, as long as they are applying in their country of nationality or residence.

These waivers also apply to qualifying students, professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, or specialists (F, M, and academic J visa applicants). However, even those applicants who qualify for interview waivers require drop box appointments, and before getting these appointments, they cannot travel to India.

The ongoing visa interview waivers will be available through the end of 2022 and are expected to reduce visa wait times significantly. Applicants who need to renew a visa in the same category as a visa that expired within 12 months before the new visa application date has been eligible for interview waivers (subject to certain conditions) even in the past. The big difference is that the applicant can apply for a new visa category and must have held any valid non-immigrant visa within the past 48 months.

However, the good news is that things are improving – consular officers in India have promised incremental appointments in the forthcoming weeks but more so from July 2022 onwards.