To uphold the integrity of its visa process, the U.S. Embassy in India announced the cancellation of approximately 2,000 visa appointments that were made using bots by unauthorized agents or fixers. The decision was shared on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, underlining the Embassy’s zero-tolerance policy towards fraud.
In a post shared by the U.S. Embassy in India, it stated that the Consular Team had identified “bad actors” who used automated systems to secure visa appointments, thereby violating official scheduling policies.
“Consular Team India identified bad actors who made about 2,000 visa appointments that violated our scheduling policies. Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts’ scheduling privileges,” the Embassy stated.
The Embassy emphasized that this move is part of its ongoing anti-fraud efforts, and warned that further violations will be met with similar consequences.
“We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies,” the post added.
The cancellation is expected to open up appointment slots for genuine applicants, many of whom face long wait times due to high demand for U.S. visas in India.
This development comes amid increased scrutiny of fraudulent practices in the visa appointment system, particularly as demand for U.S. visas continues to rise.
