Dates unavailable for Consular interview

Hello,

I have been checking on the new appointment website for Nov dates as I want to go to Delhi consulate on Nov 20, 2012 for my H1B visa interview.

Until 7 days back, I had seen that Consulate was opening interview slots for the next 3 weeks or so. But, when I checked again yesterday, I saw no dates available in Nov and first half of December. There are 4-5 dates open in the 3rd and 4th week of December and that is all.

Similar is the secnario with other consulates. Does this mean that all the dates till Dec end were opened by the Consulates and were consumed so quickly that now nothing is left in Nov and early Dec?

I have been asking the Visa appointment call center but their response is pretty standard that ā€˜keep checking daily for released datesā€™. Is there any other way to book dates now?

I am currently resident in US and my travel to India is really important around Nov 20 and I need to be back by Dec 3. Any help in this situation is appreciated.

Thank you!

Raj

3 Likes

I am in the same boat. There is no clear information as to dates in November and first half of December for 2012 are completely booked or are they to be opened soon, if so, when?

same problem. I am booked to go to india in november 3rd wek (thanksgiving) and was plannign 6 weeks for the processing time. Now the earliest date I find is december 10th. dont know if something will open up or if I have to change my trip dates.

Same situation here. I have travel dates between Nov 20- Dec 17 and no dates available at Delhi. There is no way to find out if dates are filled or not.

I just booked my interview for november 27th. However, it is in Hindi since english was not available until ~20th of december. The date is perfect for me.

Any advice on interviewing in hindi (Mumbai)? Do you get biased against because of that?

I have asked many people in my circle about interviewing in Hindi and so far I have not found a single person who went in with that option for H1B visa interview. No idea on how the consulate takes this. Good luck!

Even none of the friends or friends of friends of people that I asked has ever taken the option of H1B visa interview in Hindi. Usually, elder people take that for B1/B2 visa.
If someone has any success story with H1B Hindi interview, please post here.

Historically, they have controlled the dates until the very last week. If the Nov dates are not showing up, then it doesnā€™t mean there wouldnā€™t be any in future. They may show up w/ time.

Thanks so much, Saurabh.
I have been checking constantly and some time back my preferred date was opened and I scheduled the appointment.

Hey Raj, do you remember the dates that were open when you checked? I am planning to take a appointment between Nov 10th and Dec 2nd, but nothing is open right nowā€¦

Hi darkie15,

I had constantly checked every one hour for almost a week with just 3-4 hours of sleep. After a week, I saw Nov 20 and many other random dates opened for November at around 12:30 AM ET. I would suggest checking every hour. As Saurabh has replied to my question, consulates have historically controlled the dates until the very last week, so they might open for the next 2-3 weeks anytime.

All the best for your search!
Raj

@Raj_12: Woww ā€¦ Thanks for the info ā€¦ come to think of it ā€¦ this process is such a hogwash just to churn out more money and they still cannot improve this process
ā€¦

Raj, how did you check every hour without using the 10 attempts after which your account gets locked??

indian_guy0219,

Account does not get locked after 10 attempts, rather a message appears indicating that you are approaching the daily limit on number of times you can view the schedules. As far as I remember, it gets locked after further 8-10 attemtps. So, with a total of 18-20 allowed attempts before the actual lock, you could manage checking ā€œalmostā€ every hour.

I would suggest keeping a count of your attempts yourself and remember that if you try to view schedule of 2 consulates in a single session, it is counted as 2 attempts. So better be selective and particular. Moreover, if your account gets locked, it is reset around 9-9:30 PM ET (6:30-7 AM IST) based on what I had experienced.

I would like to mention that these suggestions are entirely based on my personal experience and observations. You may or may not choose to consider.

My intention is to help only. All the best for your search!
Raj

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Hey all,

Iā€™ve a similar situation, Iā€™m trying to find visa appointment date for mid May 2020 in Hyderabad, unfortunately all the dates are blacked out from May 2nd.
Iā€™m not sure if the dates are not open yet or have really been booked out 4 months in advance! Anyway Iā€™m following the same rules Raj suggested and trying to see if any slots open up.

I dont want to book my travel without confirmation on the dateā€¦

I know this is an extremely old post, but since this is the top page people land on this issue, might as well continue conversation here.

Hey,
I am on the same boat. All other VACs except Hyderabad have dates open in May! I doubt this is the case of being booked out since there are many available in March, April. Waiting for booking my flight based on this as well! If any one know a way to contact the VAC and check about it, please share it.