Visa Processing Updates from U.S. Consulates in India

The Department of State (DOS) has provided a number of interesting observations and statistics about the processing of visas at each of the U.S. Consulates in New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.    The reported information is as of late November 2013 but most of it is not time-sensitive and we believe remains current as of today.

U.S. Consulate New Delhi

Nonimmigrant Visas.  The Consulate processes approximately 600-800 applications per day in “off-season”, sometimes 1,000 during the busy summer months.   New Delhi is the fourth busiest U.S. Consulate in the world and has an average approval rate of 75%.   The average wait time for an interview is 38 minutes, the actual interview lasts for an average of 2-4 minutes and an interview is generally available in about 3 days.   New Delhi reports that 97% of the cases are given decision the same day and for those who are approved, it takes 1-3 days to actually get the visa.   The approval rate for H-1Bs is reported at 90% with F-1 student visa approval rates also increasing.

Immigrant Visas.  The Consulate processes approximately 80 immigrant (green card) visas on an average day with the process taking around 1 hour.   There is no backlog and the interviews are scheduled as soon as USCIS sends the case to the Consulate.   New Delhi reports that 95% of the IV applicants are from Punjab.

General Notes.   the Consulate does not do automatic reports for cases which are pending for X days.   The Consulate suggests applicants who are under secondary (administrative) processing to “stay in touch” and reach out to the Consulate if it has been 30 days without a decision.

U.S. Consulate Chennai

Nonimmigrant Visas.  Chennai processes only nonimmigrant visas and has sole responsibility for blanket L-1 visas.  It is the 13th U.S. Consulate in the world in terms of volume and handles 1,200 to 1,300 applications per day, out of which 25% are H-1Bs and 25% are L-1s.   Interviews generally last around 3 minutes and the Consulate strives to provide response for the vast majority of cases on the spot.     Chennal advises that L-1B visa applicants should be expected to explain their job title and how their knowledge if specialized (job description, job duties, and whether there are other companies in the US who do similar work).

General Notes.  The U.S. Consulate in New Delhi handles initial correspondence requests; if the query is specific to Chennai, then it is forwarded internally.   Phone calls are accepted directly between 9 and 10 am local time.   If a case is pending in administrative processing for more than 90 days then an inquiry is appropriate.    Chennai notes that in a significant portion of the cases, they never receive a response to a section 221(g) document request.

U.S. Consulate Mumbai

Nonimmigrant Visas.  The U.S. Consulate in Mumbai handles approximately 216,000 nonimmigrant visa applications per year (14 in the world), of which 22,000 were for H-1B and 12,000 for F-1 visas.   54,000 visa extension applications were processed without an interview.   The average wait time is 45 minutes with a goal of decreasing to 30 minutes per case.     March and December are the busiest months.     For H-1Bs, the Neufeld Memo (right to control) should not be a major issue if USCIS has already approved the petition (after, presumably, considering the Neufeld Memo factors).

Immigrant Visas.  There were 21,000 immigrant visa cases processed in fiscal year 2013.    The processing time difference between K-1 and CR-1 is very small and the goal is to have every interview take 90 minutes or less (now it is a bit longer).

General Notes.  221(g) letters have been revised to be more clear and targeted — “all-inclusive” letters should not be issued any longer.  The Consulate is trying to issue more on-the-spot decisions and rely less on 221(g) letters.     End-client letters (for H-1B holders) are generally not requested any longer.   The Consulate is aiming for a 2-week turnaround time once the additional requested information is provided.     Administrative processing of 90 days is “normal”.   In cases which are returned to USCIS but are affirmed by USCIS the Consulate would typically call the person back to re-interview.

Conclusion

We hope that these tidbits from these U.S. Consulates in India would be helpful to some of our clients and readers who will be attending visa interviews there.   While these U.S. Consulates highlight better approval rates across many visa categories, we still caution that strong preparation for the visa interview is key to success.   Our office is able and happy to assist throughout the visa interview process and we have a number of representation packages, including helping respond to section 221(g) requests or follow-up with Consulates for a long-pending case.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help you.  Also, please visit us again or subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to ensure that you obtain this and related immigration-related news and announcements.