Modifications for NIV Appointments in India
Since the pandemic began, the demand for nonimmigrant visa appointments (NIV) has outpaced the available manpower and resulted in a shortage of available slots. Certain individuals have taken advantage of this situation and booked visa appointments in bulk and then charged visa applicants seeking a time slot for their immigration needs. This type of abuse of the system is now being handled with the implementation of anti-fraud scheduling measures online. Don Heflin, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in India, recently addressed the issue of agents misusing the system for personal gain.
One measure the U.S. consulate has added to the online system is a CAPTCHA test to prevent the bots from taking the available appointments in bulk. Moreover, the consulate in India will no longer be announcing specific dates for new appointments. If you have knowledge of consular fraud of this type, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai is asking anyone with information to contact the Fraud Unit at [email protected]
You can see a recent live video MCCA Don Heflin made about the NIV appointment India issue here.
How Can I Find an NIV Appointment in India?
The best way to do so is to log into your profile on the CGI Federal website and look for available NIV appointments there.
Hopefully, with the implementation of these new online fraud detection measures, there should be shorter wait times and better access to available appointments.
