Top Visa Questions of the Week

Our major student season will take place from June to August for students with start dates in August and September.  We have opened visa appointments through mid-August and these are now filled. Our final batch of appointments for student visas will take place soon and will be open to both first-time and previously refused students.

We continue to see high demand for student appointments.  In the interest of fairness, we are committed to providing as many qualified students as possible with the chance to interview once before we open appointments for some students to interview a second time.

The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai is now processing all categories of immigrant visa and is rapidly reducing the queue of Immigrant Visa cases awaiting scheduling.  By September 2023 the wait time for an Immigrant Visa interview should be back to its pre-pandemic level. We cannot predict when any individual immigrant visa applicant might be contacted for an appointment.

The U.S. Mission to India resumed in-person B1/B2 interviews on September 1, 2022 and we continue to release B1/B2 appointments as resources permit. The U.S. Mission has devoted additional staff and resources to reducing the wait time for B1/B2 interviews and is on track to process over 1 Million visa applications in calendar year 2023.  Check our website for appointment availability and track our wait times here.

The COVID-19 vaccine requirements for international air travelers ended at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ended. Noncitizen nonimmigrant air passengers no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated with an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to board a flight to the United States. CDC’s Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic is no longer in effect.

For more information please see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/01/the-biden-administration-will-end-covid-19-vaccination-requirements-for-federal-employees-contractors-international-travelers-head-start-educators-and-cms-certified-facilities/