United States | Interview waivers for B1/B2 visitor visas consolidated in New Delhi

The U.S. Embassy in India recently announced new measures to consolidate B1/B2 interview waiver appointments.

Key Points:

• B1/B2 interview waiver appointments have been consolidated in New Delhi beginning last month, March 2024.
• Due to consolidation, interview waiver appointments for visitor visas in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai are now extremely limited.
• Applicants who have submitted passports for interview waiver processing may be required to appear in New Delhi, if the Embassy determines that they need to attend an in-person interview.
• Applicants can submit application forms free of cost at Visa Application Centers in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai or New Delhi.
• For a fee of 850 rupees (about US$10), applicants can also deliver documents at Document Dropoff Centers in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Cochin, Jalandhar or Pune.

Additional Information: Applicants with appointments booked prior to Nov. 15, 2023, may proceed with their appointment to the VAC or Document Dropoff Center with the updated DS-160 confirmation page. For appointments booked on or after Nov. 15, 2023, applicants must bring the original DS-160 confirmation page used to schedule the appointment and resubmit with a new updated DS-160 confirmation page to the VAC or Document Dropoff location on the day of the appointment.

BAL Analysis: The consolidation is part of the U.S. Mission’s continuing efforts to streamline visa processing. India set a record last year, processing a record-breaking 1.4 million U.S. visas in 2023, and reduced B1/B2 visitor visa wait times from 1,000 to 250 days. Visa applicants are encouraged to check the U.S. Embassy & Consulates visas website for additional updates.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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