For those who anticipate delays of a year or more in obtaining US visas, there is some positive news. Many people now find it to be a quicker choice to travel abroad for their visa interview. In reality, over 50,000 Indians have already used this option to expedite their visas in the first few months of this year. The option of applying in a third country was especially well-liked by Indian candidates for business visas under the B-1, H-1B, and L-1 categories.
The US Embassy and consulates in India granted a record 1,25,000 student visas last year, which is significant.
Heflin stated that the same policy will be applied this year as it was the previous year in regard to students whose visas were denied, who were unable to schedule second or third visa interviews, and who were experiencing backlogs.
The first opportunity is the best chance for students to get a visa approved, and the second chance is second best, he continued, despite any false information that may have been spread on this subject from various unofficial sources. However, it is unlikely that the massive demand for US student visas later this year will affect other categories, such as first-time B-1 and B-2 tourist and visitor visas, for which applicants are presently experiencing lengthy delays.
Recently, the US State Department announced a pilot project for stamping specific visa categories in the US; this initiative is likely to assist India’s backlog for other visa categories. For many Indian workers with work visas, the method of renewing specific categories of visas in the US without the applicants having to travel to India to have their passports stamped several years ago will be implemented once more.
Heflin added that the wait times for employment visa categories like the H and L have significantly decreased in comparison to one and two years ago.
News Mania Desk
