US visa appointments: White House says govt aware of long delays in India as wait times reach 1000 days

 

Currently, the visa appointment waiting time for visitors requiring interview in India (B1/B2) is 999 days.

As waiting times for visa appointments in India near 1000 days, the White House on December 8 said the Biden administration is aware of the long delays and is working to respond to the "significant demand for these visa services".

"I can say that the Biden administration is aware of the issues," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

She was responding to a question about the long duration of visa placements at US missions in India, which currently run for over 1,000 days.

At present, the waiting time for interview (B1/B2) of visitors required visit wise is 999 days. State official website.

Jean-Pierre said, "As you know, we've made great progress, as you cover this very closely, in recovering from pandemic-related closures and staffing challenges, we still see significant demand for these visa services." Working to find answers." ,


“This is something we will continue to do. We are successfully reducing wait times for visa interviews worldwide, and we doubled the hiring of US Foreign Service personnel to do this important work Visa processing is recovering faster than anticipated, and this year we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels," he added.

Earlier this week, a presidential commission recommended President Joe Biden consider issuing a memorandum to the State Department to reduce visa appointment wait times to a maximum of two to four weeks for countries like India with significant backlogs .

Non-immigrant Visa, Visitor Visa (B1/B2), Student Visa (F1/F2), and Temporary Worker Visa (H, L, O, P, Q) Appointments with Embassies in specific Asian countries and Pacific Islands including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal and other countries have exceptionally long backlogs.


In India's case, it is close to 1,000 days, resulting in major disruptions for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families in the US and abroad, as well as students, businesses and visitors.

In other countries, the waiting time for interview required visitors (B1/B2) in Beijing is 2 days while in Shanghai it is 30 days. The visa appointment waiting time in Karachi, Pakistan is 381 days. The waiting time in Dhaka is 294 days.

During its meeting this week, the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders gave the White House a set of recommendations to improve visa placement times at US embassies globally, particularly in India, Pakistan, Nepal increasing delays can be reduced. , Bangladesh and other countries.

Spearheaded by eminent Indian American community leader Ajay Jain Bhaturia, the presidential commission recommended that Biden submit a memorandum to the State Department to reduce visa appointment wait times to a maximum of 2-4 weeks for countries with significant backlogs, including India, Pakistan release should be considered. Bangladesh, and other countries in similar situations.

It suggested that the State Department should take all necessary steps to expedite visa processing at embassies abroad and reduce visa appointment waiting times to a maximum of 2-4 weeks for India and other affected embassies.

The State Department should allow virtual interviews where applicable and allow staff from embassies around the world and US consular staff to help conduct virtual interviews to reduce high backlogs.

The commission also recommended that the State Department should hire new full-time officers, temporary staff, contractors, or bring back retired consular officers to clear the backlog at relevant embassies in Asia, which have more than a month's notice. There is waiting time, priority waiting time for those with 300 days, and reduce waiting time to two-four weeks by clearing visa appointment backlog.