The US Consulate General in Kolkata has launched a pilot program to offer faster B1/B2 visa appointments for eligible business travelers and genuine tourists from eastern India.
Announced on social media, the initiative promises priority scheduling and shorter waits for applicants whose travel supports economic and people to people ties between the United States and India. The consulate framed the effort as putting “American economic priorities first” by helping business visitors and tourists reach the US more quickly.
The pilot focuses on the B1 category for business travel and the B2 category for tourism, family visits and medical trips, with applicants directed to check their eligibility for priority slots through the regular visa application portal. It comes as demand for US visitor visas from India remains high and appointment backlogs persist, even as US authorities continue to add interview slots and expand interview waiver options to manage global wait times.
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