What Applicants Should Know
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for nonimmigrant visa (NIV) appointments has surged, far exceeding the available consular resources. This imbalance has created a shortage of open appointment slots across India. Unfortunately, some third-party agents have exploited this situation by booking visa appointments in bulk and reselling them at inflated prices to genuine applicants seeking timely appointments.
To address this problem, the U.S. Consulate has rolled out a series of anti-fraud scheduling measures to ensure fairness and transparency in the appointment process. According to recent updates shared by Don Heflin, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in India, the U.S. consulates have taken strong action against misuse of the visa appointment system for personal or financial gain.
One of the key new safeguards includes the addition of a CAPTCHA verification step on the official online scheduling platform, designed to stop automated bots from reserving appointment slots in bulk. In addition, the U.S. consulates in India will no longer announce specific dates for new appointment openings. This change is intended to limit the ability of unauthorized agents to manipulate the system and ensure that appointments remain accessible to legitimate applicants.
If you have credible information regarding consular fraud or appointment misuse, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai encourages you to contact its Fraud Prevention Unit directly at MumbaiF@state.gov.
To learn more about these policy changes, you can view a recent live video update by MCCA Don Heflin, who discussed the ongoing efforts to improve the NIV appointment process in India.
How to Secure an NIV Appointment in India
The most reliable way to check for available nonimmigrant visa appointments is to sign in to your official profile on the CGI Federal website. Regularly monitoring your account will help you find legitimate openings as they become available.
With the implementation of these enhanced anti-fraud systems, applicants can expect shorter wait times, more equitable access to appointments, and a fairer overall process for scheduling NIV interviews.
If you have questions about navigating the updated NIV process or need professional assistance with your visa application, you can contact immigration attorneys at Green Card Link for expert guidance. Our team helps applicants prepare complete documentation, avoid common errors, and stay informed about the latest U.S. visa regulations and updates.