International
oi-Ruchika Pareek
The
US
Embassy
in
India
has
intensified
its
efforts
against
visa
fraud,
canceling
approximately
2,000
bot-generated
visa
appointments.
The
embassy’s
consular
team
identified
and
suspended
accounts
of
“bad
actors” who
violated
scheduling
policies,
reinforcing
their
commitment
to
maintaining
the
integrity
of
the
visa
application
process.
Agents
reportedly
use
automated
bots
to
hoard
appointment
slots,
preventing
genuine
applicants
from
securing
near-term
bookings.
This
practice
has
contributed
to
extensive
wait
times,
especially
for
B1
and
B2
visas,
which
are
issued
for
business
and
tourism
purposes.
In
response
to
severe
delays-ranging
from
800
to
1,000
days
in
2022-23-the
US
opened
visa
appointment
slots
for
Indian
applicants
at
consulates
in
Frankfurt
and
Bangkok.
Source:
Pexels
The
visa
backlog
has
been
a
persistent
issue,
prompting
India’s
External
Affairs
Minister
S.
Jaishankar
to
raise
concerns
with
US
officials.
During
his
January
2025
discussions
with
the
second
Trump
administration,
Jaishankar
emphasized
that
a
400-day
wait
for
visas
was
detrimental
to
bilateral
relations.
Meanwhile,
student
visa
(F-1)
rejections
have
surged
to
a
decade
high.
Between
October
2023
and
September
2024,
41%
of
global
F-1
visa
applications
were
denied-nearly
double
the
2014
refusal
rate.
Of
the
6.79
lakh
applications
received,
2.79
lakh
were
rejected.
Indian
students,
in
particular,
faced
a
38%
drop
in
visa
approvals
in
the
first
nine
months
of
2024
compared
to
the
same
period
in
2023.
With
the
crackdown
on
fraudulent
bookings,
the
visa
logjam
may
ease,
potentially
reducing
wait
times
for
legitimate
applicants.
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