US Visas : Indian citizens can book visa appointments in their country of destination abroad

Thailand was cited as an example of a country that has made B1 and B2 visa (business and travel) appointment slots available to Indian citizens

By TBT Web Desk On Feb 6, 2023

Surat (Gujarat) : The United States Embassy in New Delhi has informed the residents that they can schedule a visa interview at the United States Consulate or Embassy in their country of destination. Thailand was cited as an example of a country that has made B1 and B2 visa (business and travel) appointment slots available to Indian citizens.

Taking to Twitter, the US Embassy in India announced on February 3, where it stated, “Do you have upcoming international travel? If so, you may be able to get a visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your destination. For example, US Embassy Bangkok has opened B1/B2 appointment capacity for Indians who will be in Thailand in the coming months.”

In yet another tweet dated February 4, the US Embassy in India informed that they have processed more than 1 lakh visa applications which is more as compared to the numbers of 2019. “This January, the U.S. Mission to India processed over 1 Lakh visa applications. That’s more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! And we aren’t done yet. Our capacity will continue to increase as our team grows this spring.”

On January 21, the US Mission in India began holding initial visa interview days on Saturdays to cut down on wait times. In order to meet the demand for visa interviews, the United States has opened consular operations in several cities across India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

Despite difficulties in issuing H-1B visas to Indians, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets Arun Venkataraman has promised that the situation will improve.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused many delays, but we are now on track to overcome these obstacles; for example, we were able to increase the number of student visas issued last year. We’ve made great strides, as the number of H-1B visas issued in 2022 is higher than it was in 2019. We are still not there, so we need to put in more effort.”