Delays Anticipated In Visa Applications For India

Individuals in the United States applying for visas to India should expect processing delays in the coming weeks and months as India transitions to a new visa services vendor.

As of July 1, India will transfer responsibility for the processing of Indian visa applications submitted in the United States from its current third-party vendor to a new third-party vendor. The transition is expected to cause significant delays in visa processing times.

The transfer to the new Indian-owned vendor, BLS International, is a result of a mandate by the Indian government that such outsourcing contracts be made exclusively with Indian-owned companies. Currently, Travisa Outsourcing processes Indian visa applications submitted in the United States. Under Travisa, these applications are generally processed within 3 to 10 business days.