Booking an H-1B visa appointment has become increasingly difficult for Indian applicants. Many users say the challenge is no longer about eligibility or documents. The main issue now is gaining access to an overloaded and unresponsive system.
Over the past two weeks, the US State Department has opened visa consular appointments in Hyderabad and Chennai, usually on Fridays. However, these slots are filled within minutes, similar to a flash sale, leaving many applicants disappointed.
One applicant shared that even after tracking slot alerts and using tools like the CheckUSVisa plugin, no clear pattern was visible. Some claim slots open on Fridays, while others suggest they appear every 30 minutes, creating confusion.
There has been no official announcement regarding new slots in Indian consultancies. These centres are already facing additional pressure after the introduction of social media screening on December 15 last year.
An applicant described repeatedly logging in and refreshing the page, only to fail each time. Even after securing a biometrics slot once, the process broke midway, forcing them to restart from the beginning.
Another user reported an even more frustrating experience during bulk slot releases last Friday. For nearly 30 to 40 minutes, login attempts failed despite trying different browsers, clearing cache, and switching browsing modes.
In the past 15 days, the applicant said they never saw the appointment calendar even once. Each attempt ended with the same message stating that no slots were available, highlighting both access and availability issues.
The problem goes beyond limited slots, as access to the system itself remains unreliable. India has been facing significant visa delays since last year, adding to the growing frustration among applicants.
Many applicants are stuck in a backlog, waiting to book appointments and begin their H-1B visa process. While new slots offer hope to some, thousands remain unable to move forward due to ongoing technical issues.
