Challenges with the New US Visa Scheduling System
In the past few weeks, several posts worldwide—including those in India, Australia, South Korea, and Japan—have switched from the US Traveldocs system to a new platform for appointment scheduling: US Visa Scheduling. As visa applicants navigate this change, a myriad of issues have arisen. We had previously reported about this in our blog Visa Appointment Scheduling Issues at Sydney, Australia. This blog post aims to address these concerns and offer solutions to the most common problems you may face during this migration. Although our solutions mainly pertain to issues encountered by Mission India, many can be universally applied to other consulates as well.
1. Login Credentials Not Migrating from US Traveldocs
- The Issue:
On July 29, 2023, Mission India adopted a new appointment scheduling system available at US Visa Scheduling. The new system, unfortunately, does not recognize login credentials from the old platform.
- The Solution:
Applicants can use their existing email addresses to sign up and recreate their profiles on the new system. If you have already created a profile and paid the visa fee but haven’t scheduled an appointment, simply sign up on the new system and proceed with the scheduling.
2. Appointment Dates and Fee Payments Not Migrating from US Traveldocs
- The Issue:
If you find that your previously scheduled appointment and/or Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee payments haven’t transferred over, you are not alone.
- The Solution:
Contact support at support-india@usvisascheduling.com to request the migration of your appointment details and applicant information. You can also contact the US Embassy in New Delhi or the appropriate consulate directly using the Navigator function on the Embassy’s website.
Important Note: If you’ve paid your visa fee before July 15, 2023, but haven’t linked the payment to your profile, you can do so by logging into your profile and entering the payment receipt number. Additionally, only INDIAN credit or debit cards are now accepted for MRV fees through the new system.
3. Petition Request Number
- The Issue:
The new system asks for both a “Petition Request Number” and a “Petition Receipt Number,” which seems to be a programming error.
- The Solution:
While this issue is being rectified, enter your “Petition Receipt Number” twice when prompted.
4. Petition Start and Expiration Times
- The Issue:
Another likely programming glitch prompts applicants to input a “Petition Start Date” and “Petition Expiration Date” along with start and expiration times in hours and minutes.
- The Solution:
While waiting for this issue to be resolved, you can enter 12:01 a.m. for the start time and 11:59 p.m. for the expiration time.
5. Tracking Passport Delivery After Visa Issuance
- The Issue:
Some applicants have not been notified that their visas were issued and that their passports are ready for collection due to transition-related communication lapses.
- The Solution:
Applicants should still receive email and SMS notifications when their passports are ready. They can also track their passports here.
Conclusion
The transition to the new US Visa Scheduling system has been anything but smooth, with various hiccups affecting applicants globally. However, understanding these common issues and their solutions can equip you to navigate this new system more effectively. Should you encounter further problems, always consider reaching out to the appropriate consulate or embassy for assistance.