Indian passport holders can get US visa appointment in foreign countries like Thailand now

The impossibly long waiting period just to get a US visa appointment for Indians has become frustrating. Currently, the waiting period just to get an appointment (not a visa) is around 800 days (nearly 3 years) at some centres. 

To solve the backlog problem, the US embassy in India has come up with a few solutions:

• Indians applying for a business or tourist visa will now be able to get appointments in consulates outside of India. 
• For example, if you are in Thailand, you can apply for a US visa appointment at a consulate in Thailand. Currently, this is applicable for those applying for B1 and B2 visas. 

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. pic.twitter.com/tjunlBqeYu

— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) February 3, 2023

• Some US embassies and consulates like those in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata have also started "special Saturday interview days" for first-time applicants to process applications faster. 
• The US embassy in India is also planning to hire more temporary consulate officers in the coming months to process applications faster. 
• The US embassy also said that it processed over 1 lakh applications just in January 2023, their highest total in a single month and the highest in any month since July 2019. 

This January, the U.S. Mission to India processed over 1 Lakh visa applications. That’s more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! And we aren’t done yet. Our capacity will continue to increase as our team grows this spring. pic.twitter.com/nkcmhopWHZ

— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) February 4, 2023

The long waiting period has been a product of the Covid-19 pandemic backlog. Not just the US, but Indians are facing trouble getting visa appointments to several European nations as well. 

India ranks 85th on the Henley Passport ranking for 2023, which is not saying much. With easy access to just 59 countries, Indian passport holders do not have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to most countries in Europe, or to popular destinations like the US or Canada in the Americas.