Ahmedabad: Securing a US visitor visa appointment has become a gruelling waiting game for residents of Gujarat, with dates stretching as far as 2026 for new applications. While student visa appointments remain comparatively accessible, visitor visas have become a tough nut to crack. The bonafide scarcity has created fertile ground for exploitation, leaving hopeful travellers to either endure the long wait or pay a fat price for a shortcut.
Desperate for earlier slots, many applicants are turning to an underground network of agents, who claim to have “cracked the system” to get expedited appointments. These agents charge a premium of Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 for an earlier visitor visa slot.
Applicants with pressing needs are willing to pay these exorbitant sums. For instance, Ahmedabad resident Shwetang Parikh (name changed to protect privacy), whose appointment was rejected four years ago, is now staring at an Aug 2025 slot. He resorted to paying a steep Rs 75,000 to agents who claimed they could help. “It’s frustrating. Despite trying for so long, I had no other option but to pay because I have to go to the US for work,” said Parikh.
Similar is the case of Himatnagar businessman, Mitul Patel. He had initially booked a visitor visa appointment for Jan 2025 back in 2023. Hoping to meet his brother in the US sooner, he spent months trying to reschedule. “My visa appointment is now on Dec 9. I kept trying persistently and finally got it,” said Patel. This isn’t his first encounter with the visa process; his application was rejected 17 years ago.
Explaining how agents exploit the system’s quirks, a city-based visa consultant said, “Some agents have mastered the process of repeatedly checking for cancellations or newly opened slots. They are now charging applicants Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 to secure an earlier appointment. In fact, one can easily find several advertisements for such services on social media platforms.”
For many in Gujarat, attending family reunions or professional commitments in the US are now tied to how much they’re willing to spend to skip the queue.
Visa consultant Bharat Patel, said, “Dates do open up sporadically, but only for those persistent enough to monitor the system. It is tricky because one cannot login multiple times; the system will simply lock the account. Without intervention, the earliest regular appointment is in Feb 2026. These agents are simply capitalising on people’s desperation.”
Visa consultant Lalit Advani said that there is a definite scarcity of dates for tourist visas, resulting in people getting dates which are a year or year and half away.
“Some entities are exploiting this desperation,” said Advani.