As of March 16, 2020, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India will offer only essential services to U.S. citizens and limited emergency visa services. They have cancelled routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments and are currently not processing 221gs. As of March 20, 2020, interview waiver (“dropbox”) and biometrics appointments have also been cancelled.
The Embassy and Consulates have stated that they will resume routine visa services as soon as possible, but given the climate, they have not yet announced a specific date.
This closure applies to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and its Consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
MRV fees are still valid, and they may be applied to a visa application in the country from which they were purchased within one year of the date of payment.
Certain emergency services are still available. For those with urgent business who need to travel immediately, the Embassy website suggests visiting www.ustraveldocs.com/in to request an emergency appointment.
Similarly, as of March 16, 2020, public access to American Spaces in India has been closed until further notice. Mission India’s American Centers in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai have suspended their in-person programs and closed public access indefinitely.
The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Mission to India are still coordinating the repatriation of U.S. citizens from India to the United States. As of April 15, 2020, they have made travel arrangements from India to the U.S. for more than 3,100 U.S. citizens. These government-facilitated flights are available from New Delhi to San Francisco and from Mumbai to Atlanta.
The flight is not free: Adult passengers receive a promissory note for the full cost of the flight and must sign it before boarding. Previous flights have cost between $2,000 and $2,500 per person. Similarly, U.S. citizens are responsible for their own travel arrangements and additional costs (lodging) beyond San Francisco or Atlanta.
