As the waiting time for a US visa in India remains above 500 days in most regions, the US embassy has launched a new programme to help individuals get appointments in a timely manner.
Indians seeking B1 and B2 visas — for business and tourism — can now apply at select American embassies across the world to shorten the wait time.
According to the US Embassy, Bangkok is one such place where Indians may apply for a B1/B2 visa and get to the interview stage in only 14 days.
This is in contrast to regions in India where the wait is significantly longer. The wait time in Mumbai is 638 days, in Kolkata 589 days, in Delhi 596 days, and in Hyderabad 609 days.
"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, @USEmbassyBKK has opened B1/B2 appointment capacity for Indians who will be in Thailand in the coming months," US Embassy in India tweeted.
This comes after the US Embassy announced that a US visa renewal is now possible through a dropbox a few days ago.
More than 2,50,000 extra B1/B2 appointments were made available by the US embassy in India. According to the US Embassy in Delhi, the fresh measures come after the US Mission in India processed more than 1 lakh visa applications in January.
According to a senior US visa officer who spoke to news agency PTI, the US Embassy is "throwing every ounce of its might" into shortening the high visa wait periods in India.