New Delhi: The US Embassy in India, which last month cancelled 2,000 visa appointments over fraud, is widening its probe into the illegal practice by some travel agents and will now not only block applicants’ accounts but also share their names with its allies, ThePrint has learnt.
This means that allied embassies could also be made aware of Indian applicants who used fraudulent means to try and game the US visa appointment system. Cancellations till now mainly pertained to the student visa category but the Embassy is now looking into the tourist visa applications too.
“We recently cancelled 2,000 appointments that were identified as being fraudulent. The fraudulent appointments identified so far were primarily applications for student visas, but we are also identifying some fraudulent tourist visa appointments,” an US embassy official told ThePrint.
The official added: “This is the first time we are taking action against dishonest actors at the initial interview scheduling phase. Anyone engaging in this type of deceptive practice should note that this is a serious offence and that there will be consequences for individual applicants.”
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in visa applications at the Embassy here and its consulates. For example, the American Consulate in Chennai currently has a minimum waiting period of 440 days for a tourist visa (B-1/B-2) appointment.
In the 2024 financial year (October 2023–September 2024), US missions in India—including the embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata—issued around 1.375 million visas to Indian applicants. Nearly 900,000 of these were tourist visas, setting a new record.
Despite these high numbers, the supply has failed to meet the overwhelming demand. This has led to the emergence of a parallel market, where visa agents charge individuals as much as Rs 60,000 for “expedited dates”.
In response, the US administration under President Donald J. Trump has adopted a more aggressive stance. Trump, who was elected on a strong national security agenda with a focus on safeguarding American borders, has authorised US missions to act directly against applicants manipulating the appointment system. Previously, action was concentrated mainly on the agents involved in fraudulent practices.
Also Read: Is Trump being too radical in defying economic sanity? Think Narendra Modi and demonetisation
Modus operandi
Three authorised visa agents, who wished not to be named, told ThePrint that certain travel and visa facilitation agencies have created dedicated teams to game the system.
These teams, typically consisting of 15–20 individuals, operate round the clock, constantly scanning for cancellations that free up appointment slots.
While this practice has existed earlier, the level of sophistication has significantly increased, especially with the use of automated tools and artificial intelligence. Diplomatic sources said such a level of systemic exploitation is not seen at US missions elsewhere.
The individuals operating around the clock find a slot, which has been cancelled by another applicant, and immediately book it for their client, who has paid large sums of money for the expedited date.
While this is one of the more common methods for tourist visas, ThePrint has learnt that with regards to student visas, applicants interested in finding an earlier date are increasingly automating the search, and having their appointments rescheduled for an earlier date. At the moment, dozens of such appointments are being cancelled on a daily basis.
Surging demand, limited capacity
The expansion of these visa rackets offering expedited dates at steep prices is largely attributed to the US missions’ limited capacity to process the deluge of visa applications, a situation made worse post-pandemic.
“The issue started right after the pandemic. The US is particular about physical interviews by applicants, handled by its own officials. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the staff numbers reduced, which led to the backlog seen today,” a travel agent told ThePrint.
The agent, who primarily handles tourist visas, added that the surge in demand for overseas travel among Indians has driven up fresh visa applications at US missions. However, any expansion of output of visas by the US missions in India may require more staff to operate in India, something which would require New Delhi’s acquiescence.
Indian government sources told ThePrint that New Delhi has given Washington carte blanche to increase staffing. There has been no official response from the US side on plans to deploy additional officers.
“We have told them in as many words, we have no issues if they need to appoint new officials to process more visas,” said an Indian government source. There are roughly 350 US diplomats in India, and about 1,200 local staff. The source also revealed that the US Consulate in Hyderabad, for instance, is operating only half of its visa section.
This limited capacity has caused major disruptions for Indian travellers, delaying their plans to visit the US or pushing back the issuing of student visas, even for those with all documentation in place.
“The families have booked their tickets, their hotels, or confirmed their travel with their family in the US, but have to wait over 15 months to even receive a visa appointment. All visa charges are paid up front (which can range between Rs 15,000 and Rs 26,000), yet all of it is stuck until a date opens up,” one agent told ThePrint.
This gap in access has created a willingness among some Indians to pay large sums to agents in exchange for earlier slots, further fuelling the problem.
In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, some agents were charging over Rs 1 lakh to secure earlier appointments for Indian applicants. However, at the time, while the US missions cancelled these appointments, penalising the applicants themselves was not common practice.
Allies informed on fraudulent activities
As part of its intensified crackdown, the US is also informing allied nations like the UK, Canada, and Australia—major destinations for Indian students—about individuals caught manipulating the visa appointment process.
Over 7,50,000 Indians left the country in 2024 for educational purposes. The US, Canada, the UK, and Australia are home to some of the largest Indian student populations globally. In the US alone, roughly 3,31,000 Indian students were enrolled in 2024, with nearly 86,000 student visas issued in the past year.
Individuals flagged by the US for fraud may face consequences if they apply for visas to these other countries, under new American policies introduced over the last three months.
“When we identify individuals fraudulently attempting to expedite their visa slots, we cancel their appointments, block their accounts, share their information with our allies and may not allow them to apply for future visas,” the US embassy official said.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Also Read: Trump is playing the ‘commitment game’. India must be smart, not surrender