US Embassy in India, recently, issued a reminder message that can act as an alert note for many of us who are applying for US visas. It noted that even if you have paid the full application amount, it will expire if you do not take the interview in within the stipulated period.
Apparently, US visa applications are valid for exactly 1 year from the date of payment to schedule an appointment. Following which it expires. However, during thee COVID period, some exceptions were made and certain extensions were granted. These facilities will expire by end of this month.
Reminding the same, US Embassy in India tweeted, Check your receipt! If you paid your visa application fee before October 1, 2022, and have not scheduled an interview yet, book now.
Visa applicants typically have 365 days from the date of payment to schedule an appointment before the payment expires. Certain extensions were granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but these extensions expire September 30. If you paid your fee prior to October 1, 2022, you must schedule an interview (or submit your interview waiver application, if you are eligible) before September 30, 2023. If you don’t, you may have to pay the fee again!
NOTE: The interview itself does NOT need to take place before September 30, 2023, but an appointment must be scheduled in the system, even if it is for months into the future.
US visa wait time
In a noteworthy development, the United States has witnessed a significant reduction in visa wait times, contrasting the long delays experienced since the onset of the pandemic, with some extending up to three years.
The US Embassy in Mumbai recently reported that it is currently processing visas with no wait time. In the past month alone, the embassy processed over 9 lakh non-immigrant visas and anticipates surpassing the one million mark soon.
Efforts to streamline the visa process include Prime Minister Modi’s announcement in June, enabling H-1B visa holders to renew without leaving the country, and plans to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. –
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Updated: 16 Sep 2023, 08:18 AM IST