Applying for a visa to the West? Reasons for delays and what Indians can do

Countries like the USA, UK, Canada and Germany are favourite destinations for Indians when it comes to pursuing higher education, but getting a visa to these nations is proving to be a hurdle for many. The number of applications for both student and tourist visas to such countries is increasing everyday post the lifting of COVID-induced lockdowns.

NDTV has recently reported that, according to the US Embassy, bookings for in-person appointment slots for visas are all taken up through April 2023. 

The situation is grim on the UK-front as well, with reports suggesting that time to process a visa application to the country may take around six weeks.

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“The current processing time for Schengen visa applications at several German embassies is currently at least 15 days on average due to the peak season”, said the German Embassy in New Delhi.

Countries like Denmark, Italy, and Iceland have also stopped accepting visa applications until further notice.

Reasons for the delays

Experts are of the opinion that the delays are resulting from staffing shortages as a result of COVID-19, backlog of visa requests, and visa policies being made stricter by Western countries. The Government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also taken up the matter with embassies of Western countries, with the department’s spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, tweeting, ““Senior MEA officials dealing with Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, UK & USA had constructive discussions with corresponding heads of missions/ senior diplomats of these countries about streamlining student visas to Indian nationals.”

Can Indians do anything to speed up the process?

The number of Indian applications to Western countries for education, business as well as pleasure has spiked up post COVID-19 lockdowns, with many institutions opening up their application portals to foreign nationals once again.

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Indians who are now applying for visas are facing hurdles since the recent spike in applications has resulted in backlogs. Experts are of the opinion that early applications and in the case of students, contact with their colleges to fast-track their documentation processes, can boost one’s chances of timely foreign travel.