NEW DELHI: The United States is intensifying its efforts to curb the use of “bots” that have been blocking visa interview appointment slots in India, forcing many applicants to pay agents between Rs 30,000-35,000 per person to secure timely appointments.
On Wednesday, the US embassy in India announced on X: “Consular Team India is cancelling about 2,000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers who violate our scheduling policies. Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts’ scheduling privileges.”
The post further emphasized that anti-fraud efforts would continue to prevent manipulation of the appointment system. The use of bots to block slots has been an open secret in the travel industry, where securing a visa interview date for US business (B1/B2) or student visas often takes months unless applicants pay agents who use bots to manipulate the system and secure slots within a month.
A parent, speaking anonymously, shared their experience: “We tried booking a visa interview for our child to join an American university last fall but couldn’t find an available date. We paid an agent Rs 30,000 and secured an appointment in time.” Similarly, the usual wait for B1/B2 visas, which exceeds six months, can be drastically reduced by paying agents.
Sources indicate that agents deploy bots to reserve appointment slots, making it nearly impossible for genuine applicants to secure timely dates on their own. In 2023, when the wait for B1/B2 appointments approached 999 days, the US had to open slots for Indian applicants at its consulates in Frankfurt and Bangkok to manage the backlog.
India raised concerns about prolonged visa wait times with the US government 2–3 years ago, prompting a series of measures to address the issue. Now, with the crackdown on bots, the situation is expected to improve, potentially providing fairer access to visa appointments for Indian applicants.
