US: To reduce the wait times for 1st-time visa applicants!

The US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, and Hyderabad held "special Saturday interview days" on January 21 as part of a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the visa backlog.

The US has started new steps with the goal of reducing delays in visa processing in India, including arranging special interviews for first-time applicants and beefing up consular staff. The US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad held "special Saturday interview days" on January 21 as part of a multi-pronged effort to reduce the visa backlog.

According to a statement released by the US embassy on Sunday, "on January 21, the US mission in India began the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a wider effort to shorten wait periods for first-time visa applicants."

In order to accommodate applicants who need in-person visa interviews, the US Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad all started consular operations on Saturday, according to a statement. In the upcoming months, the mission will keep making "extra slots" available for appointments to take place on particular Saturdays.

According to the statement, "These extra interview days are just one part of a multi-pronged attempt to resolve the backlog in visa processing brought on by Covid-19."