The US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad held
"special Saturday interview days" on January 21 as part of a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the
visa backlog.
The US embassy in India is trying to reduce visa wait times for applicants through initiatives such as
"special interviews" for first-time applicants and increased visa staffing across the country.
As part of these efforts, the US embassy in Delhi, as well as its consulates in Mumbai, Chennai,
Kolkata, and Hyderabad, held special interviews on Saturday, January 21, to accommodate
applicants who needed in-person visa interviews. According to the US embassy statement,
additional slots on select Saturdays will be available in the coming months.
According to a statement from the US embassy in a news portal ANI, “On January 21, the US Mission
in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a larger effort to
reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants. The United States embassy in New Delhi and
Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad opened consular operations on Saturday to
accommodate applicants [requiring] in-person visa interviews.”
The US State Department is also increasing the number of consular officers assigned to the Embassy and
Consulates on a permanent basis. Over 2.5 lakh additional B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) appointments have
been made available by the US mission in India. In order to accommodate additional appointments, the US
Consulate General in Mumbai has extended its weekday operating hours.