US Visa: Lack Of Short-Term Visa Availability Impacting Tech Companies

The unavailability of appointments for the B1/B2 US visas is impacting tech companies. It prevents them from meeting with clients and seeking new business in their biggest market.

While B1/B2 visa holders cannot work in the US, these permits are used for personal or business travel for client meetings and attending events and conferences, which are an important way of signing on new business, particularly for small and medium enterprises.

As of Monday, the earliest appointment for a short-term visa was available after over 700 days (about 2 years) in Mumbai and Delhi.

Nasscom said it had raised this issue with the Indian government and the US Embassy in India and was told things would ease up soon.

“This is something that has impacted both large and small companies. People do need to travel for assessment meetings to understand what the client’s digital transformation needs are,” said Shivendra Singh, vice president and head of global trade at Nasscom.

Following a 2-year lull due to Covid-19 restrictions, in-person events have just resumed in recent months. It is important for many small and medium enterprises to attend industry events in order to meet potential customers and sign on new clients.