Gujarat: Visitor visa appointment for US only in 2024-25

AHMEDABAD: Raju Gadhvi (56) and his wife Dhara (45) were scheduled to go for US visa in April 2020 but the appointment got cancelled due to countrywide and global lockdowns. While the pandemic has let up, there is no end to their visa woes as the earliest visa appointment the couple has got for US visa is November 2024.
"Our only son has gone to the US for higher studies. He finished his studies, landed a job and has even bought a house and a car. We are desperate to go visit him but it seems like an impossible task. The whole world has normalised post-Covid. It is surprising how an advanced country like the US has not been able to cut through the backlog," says Gadhvi.
For footloose Gujaratis, getting a visitor's visa to the US is turning out to be a mission impossible of sorts. In fact, the majority of visa hopefuls are seeing their hopes of visiting Uncle Sam's land soon come crashing down as the earliest appointment people have got is November 2024. Visa consultants say that many are now getting appointments only in 2025.
The most affected are families whose children are settled abroad. City-resident Dhrumil Thaker (30) too has got a visa appointment for a US visitor's visa in November 2024. "My brother has settled in the US and we are yearning to get together. Travelling to the US seems to have suddenly become a Herculean task," rued Thaker.
Ritesh Desai, a visa consultant, said citizens are having a harrowing time for visa appointments. "Students faced problems but most were able to get dates within months. Waiting for for two years for a travel visa date is unprecedented. We have stopped taking clients for visitor visas," says Desai.
Visa consultant Bharat Patel said appointment dates are available in the year 2024-25.