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After a problematic few months of delayed US visa applications for international students and scholars, the US State Department have now vowed to turn the situation around.
A bulletin in the New York Times first reported the issue back in March, noting unusually long delays in student visa applications. The report claimed that US universities had received an increasing amount of student visa complaints since last autumn. Delays of two or three months and missing documents were often reported; similar problems to those encountered shortly after the September 11th attacks. State officials claimed that the delays were a result of staff shortages in the State Department.
The impact of the delays on American institutions is said to be potentially damaging and could ultimately lead to a downturn in the number of internationals choosing the US. “People are missing the opportunities to come to the US” claimed Amy Scott of the Association of American Universities, “we are losing ground here”. A press release printed by the association wrote: “Current policies are hampering the ability of the world’s best and brightest international students, scholars, and researchers to study and work in our country”.
However, the US State Department has now brought in new staff members to combat the delays, and hopes to reduce application waiting times to two weeks.
If you have been affected in any way by the visa delays, we would love to hear from you. E-mail us your comments at: editorial@i-studentadvisor.com
Yet another good piece, Keep it up and well done
The initial process preparing for the visa took a year due to in incompetency of the ECFMG and the FCVS, organizations involved in licensing non-US doctors.
My US employer has changed my start date several times so far.
After an enormous effort, a lot of money and one year waiting I was glad to have my USCIS H1-B visa approval letter
Before my H1-B visa interview I e-mailed the US consulate in Sydney about how long is it going take to stamp my visa and they replied that most visas are issued within 48 hours.
On interview day the officer said that they needed two weeks to process the visa but now it has taken much longer than that.
Although the consulate advices not to make travel plans before getting the actual visa but both me and my wife had to resign from our jobs here, as my US employer asked that I depart to the US as soon as I get the visa.
On e-mailing the US consulate again they replied with a generic letter stating that waiting can be as long as many more months.
It is much easier for me and my family if they reject the visa as I am not that desperate to work in America but it is hard to cancel the plan and not to go to the US at all after all the wait and effort.
So I can assure you that although the US State Department has now brought in new staff members to combat the delays, the application waiting times are still longer than two weeks.
Just an update. I have received the visa after 5 weeks from the interview date.