It has become an endless waiting affair to secure US Visas. The inordinate delay has had an adverse impact on the jobs and study plans of many aspirants.
India happened to be one of the few countries where US visa applications witnessed a big spike after the pandemic-induced restrictions got eased.
For the new visa applicants, the stress and anxiety have only grown over the painfully long wait time. It might be hard to believe but the waiting period for B1/B2 visa applicants in India was around three years in October 2022.
In the meantime, the wait for a student visa (F-1) came down to around 90 days but for business and tourist visas (B-1, B-2) the gap is wide, touching roughly two years in the majority of the consulates across the country.
However, the US has some taking painstaking efforts to cut the long visa waiting period in India, including dispatching a cadre of consular officers to the country and bringing other overseas embassies in Germany and Thailand for the sake of Indian visa candidates, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie Stufft had recently mentioned in an interview.
A New Option To Cut Delays
Having said that, people who cannot wait this long have another remedy: third-country national (TCN) visa processing. A Third Country National visa happens to be a visa application or a visa acquired from a US consulate in a country away from your native country.
But it has its share of problems as well. Chiefly, it would be hard to expect local officers to be sensitive about the US dreams of an Indian as they are not in sync with local culture. And then, cancelling the application profile in India and creating a new one overseas can be extremely tough.
Also, applicants who have faced rejections before, with criminal records, and/or with financial constraints, have little to no chance with regard to the TCN option.
So, US visa aspirants have a lot to ponder prior to considering this option. Otherwise, the traditional route is still there, but it takes, as they say, a hell of a time.
