US: Plan For A Longer Stay, If Visiting India For Visa Renewal

The United States Embassy in India has cautioned the NRIs living in the US to be prepared for the longer stay in India if they are planning to visit India for their US visa renewals. The embassy in a statement said that people who are visiting India this fall or winter for their visa renewals have to wait for a longer period since there is a long wait time. The US embassy also added that this is also applicable for the emergency appointment requests. While Fall runs from September 1st to November 30, Winter runs from December 1st to February 28. The US Embassy India is presently processing only a limited number of F,M and J visa appointments and only considering other emergency appointments.

US Embassy India wrote, “Please be advised, if you are planning to travel to India to renew your U.S. visa this fall or winter, you should plan for a longer stay in India. We anticipate significant appointment wait times — even for emergency appointment requests.” It added, “We are currently only processing a limited number of in-person F, M, and J visa appointments and other appointments that meet strict emergency criteria. We have not resumed regular visa processing, including for employment-based visas.”

Meanwhile, it can be noted that the US is facing presidential elections on November 3. However, the newly elected president and vice president will only be inaugurated on Jan 20, 2021.