The US Embassy has said there will be an increased appointment wait times for some non-immigrant visa categories as it recovers from COVID-19-induced interruptions.
From 8 November, nearly three million visa holders from India will be able to travel to the United States under the new international air travel policy, the embassy said.
“Facilitating legitimate travel to support our strong and growing bilateral ties is our top priority. As we build back from COVID-19-related interruptions, we expect significant appointment wait times for some nonimmigrant visa categories at our Embassy and Consulates,” it said.
The embassy thanked people for their patience while “we work to increase our capacity and maintain the safety of our applicants and staff”.
It said that starting 8 November, foreign national air travellers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 and to provide proof of vaccination status before boarding an airplane to fly to the US, with only limited exceptions.
“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has determined that for the purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include those FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO),” it said.
The embassy also said that Covishield will be accepted for the purposes of entry into the US .
(With inputs from PTI.)
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