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Hyderabad: In an attempt to reduce wait times, the US embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Hyderabad and other cities decided to conduct in-person visa interviews on Saturdays too.
On January 21, the U.S. Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days. In the coming months, the Mission will continue to open additional slots for appointments to take place on select Saturdays.
US visa interview wait times likely to reduce
The additional interview days are one component of a multi-pronged initiative to address the backlog in visa processing caused by COVID-19.
The Department of State has implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous U.S. visas.
In order to increase processing capacity, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India between January and March 2023.
Apart from it, the Department of State is also increasing the number of consular officers permanently assigned to the Embassy and Consulates in Hyderabad and other cities in India.
US consulate in Mumbai
Consulate General Mumbai also extended its weekday operating hours to make space for additional appointments.
By this summer, the U.S. Mission in India will be at full staffing, and it is expected that the processing of visas will reach levels that existed prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic resulted in profound reductions in the department’s visa processing capacity, and many of US embassies and consulates were at times only able to offer emergency services.
As travel restrictions have been lifted, the U.S. Mission to India has made it a priority to facilitate legitimate travel and adjudicated over 800,000 nonimmigrant visas in 2022, including record numbers of both student and employment visas.
US visa interview wait times at US consulate in Hyderabad
Currently, the visa appointment wait times at embassy and consulates in Hyderabad and other cities are as follows
Hyderabad
| Visa type | Appointment wait time (calendar days) |
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 204 |
| Interview Required Crew and Transit | Same day |
| Interview Required Visitors | 595 |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors | 79 |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 226 |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit | Same day |
| Interview Waiver Visitors | 135 |
Delhi
| Visa type | Appointment wait time (calendar days) |
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 83 |
| Interview Required Crew and Transit | 84 |
| Interview Required Visitors | 535 |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors | 76 |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 51 |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit | 106 |
| Interview Waiver Visitors | 23 |
Chennai
| Visa type | Appointment wait time (calendar days) |
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 233 |
| Interview Required Crew and Transit | 84 |
| Interview Required Visitors | 560 |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors | 76 |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 58 |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit | 167 |
| Interview Waiver Visitors | 14 |
Kolkata
| Visa type | Appointment wait time (calendar days) |
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 176 |
| Interview Required Crew and Transit | 596 |
| Interview Required Visitors | 596 |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 216 |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit | 216 |
| Interview Waiver Visitors | 216 |
Mumbai
| Visa type | Appointment wait time (calendar days) |
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors | 90 |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 64 |
| Interview Required Crew and Transit | 78 |
| Interview Required Visitors | 609 |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors | 84 |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers | 85 |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit | 2 |
| Interview Waiver Visitors | 3 |
Real-time visa appointment wait time at the US embassy and consulates in India can be viewed on the official website of the US Department of State (click here).
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )
