Friday, March 28, 2025
The US Embassy in India announced on Wednesday that more than 2,000 visa applications have been cancelled.
Over 2,000 visa applications submitted in India have been revoked by the United States, according to an official statement released by the US Embassy on Wednesday.
Indian nationals represent one of the largest groups traveling to the US for various reasons—whether for employment opportunities, academic pursuits, or leisure travel.
The decision to cancel these applications follows the US government’s intensified focus on immigration enforcement, a policy direction that has gained momentum under the current administration, which took office just over two months ago.
What led to the cancellation of these US visa applications in India?
According to embassy officials, the cancellations were triggered by widespread misuse of the visa appointment system. The US Embassy identified suspicious activity linked to automated bots and fraudulent actors manipulating the booking process. In response, those accounts were promptly deactivated to maintain the integrity of the system and ensure fair access for genuine applicants.
US visa processing in India has already been plagued by heavy delays, particularly for B1 and B2 visa categories, which cover business and tourism travel. During 2022 and 2023, Indian applicants often faced waiting periods ranging from 800 to 1,000 days.
In an effort to reduce these extensive backlogs, the US government extended visa appointment options to Indian nationals through its embassies in Frankfurt, Germany, and Bangkok, Thailand.
The Indian government has voiced its dissatisfaction with the prolonged wait times on multiple occasions. In 2022, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar brought up the delays directly with then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Biden administration cited disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as the root cause of the backlog. More recently, during Jaishankar’s visit to Washington in January for Donald Trump’s inauguration, he again addressed the issue with Blinken’s successor, Marco Rubio.
Alongside processing delays, visa approval rates have also dropped—an issue that’s hit Indian students particularly hard. With recent revelations of fraud involving visa appointment systems, this added scrutiny could make it even more challenging for legitimate travelers to secure a US visa.
