The U.S. Embassy in India has cancelled over 2,000 visa appointments after it found major violations in the appointment system by what it called “bad actors” or “bots” and suspended their accounts.
Reiterating its zero tolerance policy for agents and fixers involved in fraudulent practices, the mission posted on X, “Consular Team India is cancelling about 2,000 visa appointments made by bots.
“We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies,” the embassy said noting its consular team had identified bad actors who made about 2,000 such visa appointments. Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts’ scheduling privileges.”
The wait time for a B1/B2 visa appointed is over six months, but paying ₹30,000-35,000 to an agent can get one within a month, The Times of India reported. It cited unnamed sources as saying agents use bots to block appointment slots, making early dates unavailable for regular applicants.
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In 2023, when wait times neared 999 days, the U.S. opened appointments for Indians in Frankfurt and Bangkok. India has raised concerns about long visa delays with the U.S., prompting steps to reduce wait times. With the U.S. now cracking down on bots, the situation may improve further.
Delhi Police Crime Branch recently registered an FIR against several visa and passport agents, primarily operating from Punjab and Haryana, following a complaint from the U.S. embassy highlighting fraudulent activities by visa agents, Mint reported.
These agents, both known and unknown, were involved in submitting false information in U.S. visa applications and providing fake documents to applicants, according to the complaint.
“During the period from May to August 2024, our office conducted relevant investigations and compiled a comprehensive list of individuals linked to multiple IP addresses, suspected to be associated with visa consultants, document vendors (educational certificates, bank documents, and employment certificates), passport delivery addresses, and education consultants,” the complaint stated.