Why US Embassy in India is cancelling 2,000 visa appointments | All you need to know

The US Embassy in India cancelled over 2,000 visa appointments over fraudulent activities, it said on Wednesday. The Embassy said that appointments were made by “bots” or “bad actors” which “violated their scheduling policies”.

“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 US Embassy wrote in a post on X.

“Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts’ scheduling privileges,” they added.

“We will continue our anti-fraud efforts. We have zero tolerance for fraud,” the post said.

FIR against fake visa and passport agents

Just a week ago, the Delhi Police Crime Branch registered an FIR against several visa and passport agents, primarily operating from Punjab and Haryana, following a complaint from the US Embassy, according to an official statement. The case was filed on February 27.

In the complaint, a representative of the US Embassy in New Delhi highlighted fraudulent activities by visa agents.

The complaint stated that these agents, both known and unknown, were involved in submitting false information in US visa applications and providing fake documents to applicants. The agents allegedly attempted to deceive the US Embassy and the US government to obtain visas through fraudulent means.

The complaint further stated, “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.”

According to the statement, the US Embassy has named more than 30 visa and passport agents, along with passengers who allegedly tried to obtain US visas using fake documents. Specific cases were also highlighted where applicants submitted fraudulent papers.

H1-B visa backlog

Employers and representatives must use a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) online account for H-1B visa registration. The initial registration for the H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2026 was recently closed on March 24.

H-B1 and H-B2 visas, meant for tourist and business, have seen significant backlogs in recent years. The waiting time ranged from 800-1,000 working days in 2022-23.

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.

US visa retrogression

The US Department of State on March 11 released the April 2025 Visa Bulletin, announcing important updates employment-based (EB) for immigrant visa categories. According to the bulletin, India will face over two-year retrogression in the EB-5 Unreserved category.

Visa retrogression occurs when the US Department of State moves the priority dates that determine visa availability backward instead of forward in the Visa Bulletin, subsequently causing delays for green card applicants.

Basically, visa retrogression means applicants will have to wait longer to apply for a green card. While it is only temporary, it extends the waiting time for applicants significantly.