As the grip of the Covid-19 weakens across the world, the pandemic-led restrictions are also getting waived off substantially. This has encouraged many people around the world, including Indians, to plan overseas trips. However, if you are thinking of a trip to the US, Canada or UK then be prepared for an unpleasant surprise. The prospect of a long wait time for an appointment is very much on the cards with varying degrees in respect to these countries. In some cases, the wait even extends to the mid or end of 2024 when it comes to the visitor visa appointment. Yes, it is very true and hence, act as fast as possible now in case you want to spend Christmas in the US or UK by 2023 or 2024.
The Delay Is The Longest In Respect To The US
The usual wait time to acquire a US visa happens to be over 500 days, which means one and a half years. So, if you apply for one now you might get lucky by the end of 2024. The wait time slightly differs for people from different metro cities. For example, a person from Mumbai might get a bit early than a person from Delhi. According to the US Department of State travel Travel.State.Gov website, the visitor visa appointment in the US consulate in New Delhi happens to be 582 calendar days and 471 days for student visas. In the financial capital of India, the typical wait time for a US visa appointment turns out to be 517 Calendar days with regard to a visitor visa and 10 days for a student visa. For other cities in India also the wait time differs from one another slightly but is on the higher side.
According to immigration officials in the US, the delay is due to the Covid-19 lockdowns impacting the functioning of the US consulates around the world. During the Covid-19-induced restrictions, work in the consulates got affected badly leading to staggeringly huge backlogs now.
Canada Is Better Placed Than The US
The situation is bad with regard to the US, however, in respect of Canada, it is much better. According to the Government of Canada website, the waiting time for the country’s visitor visa, at present, happens to be 158 days. The portal further adds, “This processing time is exclusive of the time taken to despatch an application between a visa application centre and our office and the time you are expected to spend on your biometrics.”
In The UK It’s Inconsistent
When it comes to the UK Visa, the processing time takes 4 to 10 weeks, much better than the US and even Canada. Also, the country is very close to launching the Priority Visa (PV) and Super Priority Visa (SPV) services for fresh applications under the sponsored work routes and student visas. The UK High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis expressed regret regarding the delay in a video message on Twitter, “Most of you are getting visas to go to the UK within 15 working days, but there is a long tail of complex cases which are taking much longer. ” He further went on to advise the visa aspirants not to book tickets without getting the visa in hand.
Hence, those wishing to go to the US, Canada or UK for a short trip need to wait for their turn patiently. The possibility of an immediate journey is almost out of question, and if they don’t have the time, then they should look for the countries where the wait time is very short.
