Wait for visa appointment to be 'significantly' longer: US embassy

Washington, Oct 31: The US Embassy here has said there will be significant appointment wait times for some non-immigrant visa categories as it builds back from Covid-19-related interruptions.

From November 8, an estimated three million visa holders from India, with proof of vaccination, will be able to travel to the United States under the new international air travel policy, the embassy said.

"Facilitating legitimate travel to support our strong and growing bilateral ties is our top priority. As we build back from Covid-19-related interruptions, we expect significant appointment wait times for some nonimmigrant visa categories at our Embassy and Consulates," it said.

The mission thanked people for their patience while "we work to increase our capacity and maintain the safety of our applicants and staff".

Describing the vaccination requirements, the US Embassy said that starting November 8, foreign national air travellers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the US, with only limited exceptions.

"The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has determined that for the purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include those FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO)," it said.

The embassy said that Covishield will be accepted for the purposes of entry into the United States since it has an emergency use listing from the WHO.