US visa applications may expire even after payment; Embassy gives big update

The US Embassy in India posted a warning on X to visa applicants on Wednesday (September 13), "Check your receipt! If you paid your visa application fee before October 1, 2022, and have not scheduled an interview yet, book now."

“Visa applicants typically have 365 days from the date of payment to schedule an appointment before the payment expires. Certain extensions were granted during the pandemic, but these extensions expire September 30,” the embassy continued. “If you paid your fee prior to October 1, 2022, you must schedule an interview (or submit your interview waiver application, if you are eligible) before September 30, 2023. If you don’t, you may have to pay the fee again!” “NOTE: The interview itself does NOT need to take place before September 30, 2023, but an appointment must be scheduled in the system, even if it is for months into the future,” clarified the embassy.

The special allowances that were given to travellers during the Covid pandemic are now being withdrawn by the US government. The extension of visa application validity is one of them.

Visa applicants have had to wait for inordinately long periods for an interview since the pandemic, some even for two or three years. Fortunately, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made special efforts to revamp the process and the waiting time for a visa has reduced significantly.

In fact, the US Embassy in Mumbai says it has no wait time at all, and that it was approaching the one-million mark of non-immigrant visas. India and the US have been making coordinated efforts to make the visa process easier for the numerous applicants, resulting in the decision to allow H1-B visa holders being allowed to renew their visas without having to leave the US.

Another positive development is that the US will be opening new consulates in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru to cater to the high demand.