The US waives off mandatory visa interview for certain visas

Starting 1^st September 2019, certain Indian visa applicants can apply for a waiver from the mandatory visa interview. The US has announced the same in a bid to make the visa application process shorter for Indian applicants.

The US Consulate also announced that it plans to better the customer service for visa applicants in India. It also aims to reduce the turnaround time for visa renewals.

Children below 14 years and senior citizens above 79 years applying for visa renewal can apply for a visa interview waiver. However, the renewal is subject to the candidates meeting certain conditions.

The US Consulate says that starting from 1^st September, eligible applicants for an interview waiver must schedule an appointment to drop their visa application documents and passport. This can be done at 11 locations across India. An official at the visa application centre will check the documents before accepting the delivery. They will then send the documents to the US Embassy or the US Consulate, as per The Economic Times. Applicants will get a decision on their US visa application within 7 to 10 days of submitting their application.

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However, applicants must be aware that in some cases, they may be called for a visa interview.

If an applicant has to appear for a visa interview, they must travel to the post where they submitted their interview waiver application. You cannot change your post once you have submitted your application. Applicants will be notified on how to proceed further for the visa interview.

The US has visa application centres at the following places in India:

• New Delhi
• Kolkata
• Mumbai
• Hyderabad
• Chennai
• Jalandhar
• Chandigarh
• Kochi
• Ahmedabad
• Pune

The US share has been steadily falling for the long-haul global travel market. From a high of 13.7% in 2015, it has dropped to 11.7% in 2018 as per the US Travel Association.

The decline causes a loss of 14 million international travellers to the US. This equates to around $59 billion in visitor spending and about 120,000 jobs.

The US has got a total of 79.8 million international visitors in 2019. Canada contributed about 21 million while 18.2 million visitors were from Mexico. Other overseas markets contributed to 40.6 million international visitors to the US in 2019.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of Visa and Immigration products as well as services for aspiring overseas students including Work Visa for the USA, Study Visa for the USA, and Business Visa for the USA.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to the USA, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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