If you plan to apply for a U.S. visa, you must first complete the U.S. visa online application, aka DS-160 or DS-260, and then book appointments to provide biometrics and attend an in-person visa interview by a US Consular Officer.
The first step of filling out the US Visa online application DS-160 or DS-260 is done on the US Government Website, and it is very clear. But, the visa appointment booking websites are not managed by the US Government directly; they are given to Federal Contractors or outsourced vendors who manage them for them.
It can be confusing when you see a website that does not end with “.gov” when you try to book a U.S. visa appointment. In this article, we will review the official website for booking US Visa appointment, what are the legitimate websites and clarify the confusion around the same.
Is USVisaScheduling.com Legit website for US Visa Appointment Booking?
The simple answer is “Yes”, USVisaScheduling.com is the legitimate website that is used to book a US Visa Appointment in countries like India, Japan, and many other Asian countries.
The main reason for everyone’s confusion or concern, if it is the legit website, is that as soon as you type in the web address https://www.usvisascheduling.com/en-US/ in the browser, it will be redirected to a URL that looks like “https://atlasauth.b2clogin.com/xxxxxx” with a long URL and looks like spam. We will address that in the next section.
See the screenshot below on how it actually looks when the redirect happens.
What is atlasauth.b2clogin.com US Visa Login? Why redirection? Is it Spam?
The redirection when you type www.USVisaScheduling.com to “atlasauth.b2clogin.com” for the US Visa happens because of the authentication system that the USVisaScheduling Website is using. The authentication system of b2clogin.com is from Microsoft. It is not spam.
The CGI Federal, which is the federal contractor that manages the website, has created a subdomain “atlasauth” on the b2clogin.com for the purpose of the USVisaScheduling.com website. The term “atlasauth” could mean “Atlas Authentication”(just guessing). This is the reason you see the URL redirect to “atlasauth.b2clogin.com“
Below is the screenshot from the Microsoft website, which clearly explains that b2clogin.com is by them and how customers can use it for authentication. You can check the official Microsoft.com website
Check out the Step-by-Step Guide on How to create an account on USVisaScheduling.com with Screenshots for full information.
USVisaScheduling.com Website Home page after Login
After you log in by entering the username and password or sign up for a new account at the US Visa Scheduling website, you will be taken to the “Visa Applicant Home” page. At this point, you can see the website URL is back to normal, USVisaScheduling.com, in the browser address bar.
Also, something important to note is that they will show the text on the top of the page, just below the address bar that reads “🇺🇸 Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service“. See the screenshot below on how it looks :
Also, another thing to note is that this website is managed by “CGI Federal Inc“, which is the federal contractor company name. You can see the same in the footer of the website after you log in. See the screenshow below for the same.
Note: Always double-check the URL before you submit any sensitive information. It should start with USVisaScheduling.com after the login process is completed. Always use the legitimate website and avoid spammers.
You can also check out the articles below related to US Visas Appointments and Tracking:
- How to Check US Visa Status Online? CEAC Website, Errors Info
- How many times can I reschedule my US Visa Appointment? India? Others?
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