The US Embassy in India cancelled over 2,000 visa applications due to fraud-related activities. The embassy detected major violations in the appointment system by "bad actors" or bots and suspended their accounts, it said on Wednesday.

"Consular Team India is cancelling about 2,000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies," the US Embassy wrote in a post on X.

"Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts' scheduling privileges," they added.

Consular Team India is canceling about 2000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies. pic.twitter.com/ypakf99eCo

B1 and B2 visas, meant for business and tourism, have seen significant backlogs in recent years. In 2022-23, waiting times ranged from 800 to 1,000 days, prompting the US to open visa appointments for Indian applicants in Frankfurt and Bangkok.

In 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised concerns about the visa delays with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attributed the backlog to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Jaishankar again spoke about these concerns in January this year to the second Trump administration.

"If it takes 400-odd days of waiting period to get a visa, I don't think the relationship is well served by this. He (Marco Rubio) also noted that point," Mr Jaishankar said after his bilateral meeting with US Senator Marco Rubio, where immigration issues were discussed.

Beyond business and tourism visas, student visa denials have also surged. In FY 23-24 (October 2023 - September 2024), the US received 6.79 lakh applications for F-1 student visas, rejecting 2.79 lakh of them. This was a 41 per cent rejection rate, a sharp increase from the previous year when 36 per cent of 6.99 lakh applications were denied.

In 2014, the rejection rate was 15 per cent, which has now nearly tripled. The total number of visas approved has also declined, impacting universities and international students.

Though country-specific rejection rates are not officially disclosed, reports suggest that Indian students faced a 38 per cent drop in student visas issued in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. (Business Today)

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