NEW DELHI: The US Embassy in India cancelled over 2,000 visa applications due to fraud-related activities. The embassy identified significant violations in the appointment system, caused by “bad actors” or bots, and subsequently suspended their accounts.
“Consular Team India is canceling about 2,000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers who violate our scheduling policies,” the US Embassy posted on social media platform 'X'.
“Effective immediately, we are canceling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts' scheduling privileges,” the embassy said.
B1 and B2 visas, which are for business and tourism purposes, have experienced substantial backlogs in recent years.
Waiting times in 2022-23 ranged from 800 to 1,000 days, prompting the US to offer visa appointments for Indian applicants even in Frankfurt and Bangkok.
In 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised concerns about the visa delays with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attributed the backlog to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaishankar reiterated these concerns in January this year during discussions with the second Trump administration.
“If it takes 400-odd days to get a visa, I don't think the relationship is well served by this,” Jaishankar said after his bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio.