The average wait times for most categories of non-immigrant visa appointments in India ranges between 3 and 5 weeks. If an applicant needs to travel urgently, and if s/he falls under one of the following categories, the applicant may make a request for expedited appointment. The U.S. Embassy / Consulate, at its discretion may approve the request. Once the request for expedited appointment is approved, several additional interview slots will be available on the calendar under the applicant’s profile on www.ustraveldocs.com/in. The applicant may reschedule to an earlier visa and biometric interview date.

It is important to understand that an approval for a request for expedited appointment does not guarantee a U.S. visa. One still needs to meet all the other requirements for the category in which visa is sought.

Expedited Appointments are available for the following categories

• Urgent Medical Needs
• Funeral / Death
• Urgent Business Travel
• Students or Exchange Visitors

Urgent Medical Need

If one is seeking urgent medical treatment from the United States or if one needs to accompany a family member or an employer who seeks urgent medical attention in the United States, then s/he may request for an expedited appointment under this category.

To request an expedited appointment under this category, one would need (i) Letter from doctor in India, describing the medical condition and detailing reasons as to why medical treatment is sought in the U.S.; (ii) A letter from doctor / hospital in the United States, clearly indicating their acceptance to treat the patient along with the approximate duration / cost of the treatment and (iii) Documentation to show that one has sufficient financial resources to cover the treatment and other expenses.

Attend Funeral / Death of Immediate Relative

This is available only for persons who need to attend the funeral or make arrangements for the repatriation of the mortal remains of an immediate relative. Spouse / mother / father / brother / sister / son or daughter of the deceased person are considered as immediate relatives.

To request an expedited appointment under this category, the applicant would need (i) A letter from the funeral director with his/her contact information, details of the deceased and the proposed date and time of funeral and (ii) Evidence that the applicant is an immediate relative of the deceased.

Urgent Business Travel

If a business traveller has an urgent urgent business matter to attend in the United States and can establish that the travel requirement could not be predicted in advance, s/he may request an expedited appointment under this category. In general, there is a higher scrutiny and lesser likelihood of a request being approved under this category.

One may submit one of the following documents to be eligible for an expedited appointment under this category – A brief letter from the U.S. entity, detailing the urgency of the intended visit, nature of business and particulars of the loss of significant nature that will be incurred by the U.S. or India entity if such request for expedited appointment is not accepted. OR If the applicant needs to attend a training program in the United States of three months or lesser duration, then one may include a letter from the employer in India and one from the U.S. entity, detailing the training along with explanation of the loss that will be incurred by the U.S. or India entity if such request for expedited appointment is not approved.

Student / Exchange Visitor Applicants

If a student or exchange visitor is within 60 days of the start of the course and s/he does not have any U.S. Visa refusal in the last six months, then s/he may request for an expedited appointment under this category. Applicant will need the original i-20 or DS-2019 indicating a start date within 60 days.

Applicants Who Received Denial Under Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)

Citizens of certain countries are eligible for entry into the United States using ESTA as a Visa Waiver Partner. If such travellers receive a notice intimating that s/he is no longer eligible to travel to the United States using the ESTA program, then s/he may request an expedited appointment by providing a copy of the communication received from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection which indicated that ESTA is no longer available for the applicant / traveller. This option is available for applicants who are dual nationals of Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria, or those who have travelled to Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Somalia after March 1, 2011.

Important Information on choosing the post for interview

Readers may be aware that a non-immigrant visa applicant in India may appear at any one of the U.S. Embassy or Consular posts for their visa interview. In some instances, interview slots in some posts may be available earlier than the other. However, one must remember that the interview post cannot be changed after a request for expedited appointment is approved. The expedited appointment will be approved only for the consular post that one has originally scheduled the interview with.

For example, if an applicant lives in Chennai and schedules an appointment at New Delhi based on first available date and then raises a request for an expedited appointment, if approved, the expedited appointment will be available only for New Delhi. The applicant will not be able to change the consular post to Chennai.

Procedure to Request Expedited Appointment

After one schedules the biometric and visa interview using the regular process, one should select the “Request Expedited Appointment” option on the left tab on the profile at www.ustraveldocs.com/in. After doing this, one should select the appropriate category under which the expedited request is sought, attach the supporting documents in PDF format and write a brief note on why an expedited appointment is required. After reviewing, the consular post may either approve or deny this request. If the request is approved, then a message / email will be received, and the applicant will have to login to the profile and choose the option to re-schedule interview and select an earlier date. The calendar will show several additional interview slots when the request for expedited appointment is approved. There is a timeframe within which one needs to schedule the expedited appointment.

Information pertaining to expedited appointments can be found here.