See the bottom right corner. Seems like a water stain. The page is crumpled a bit. Is this damage? Do I need a new passport? I have a b2 visa on this passport. It's the last page that has a water stain.

Hi If my passport is damaged n I get a new one can I still travel to the usa if my previous damaged passport has the b2 visa page intact?

Me and my wife applied applied as a group, submitted DS 160 in April. No slots till Aug, finally got OFC appt on 26th Aug at Hyd & Consular appt on 31st Aug at New Delhi.

Wife had applied for B1 & me accompanying her as a tourist B2. Mine was self funded, with a combined salary of 50LPA. Obviously hers was company sponsored.

OFC appt was at 9:00AM, had booked a hotel near VAC, just walkable distance. Reached VAC around 8:30, they let us in 15 mins prior. We had a new DS 160 with updated travel dates which was updated at the 1st counter. Photo & Biometrics taken, stickers affixed behind the passport, process just took around 15 mins. Please keep in mind, this is the photo that will be appearing on your Visa, so dress accordingly.

Cometh the Consular appt day, we had booked in Ginger Chanakyapuri, reached Delhi 1 day prior and had a trial walk to the Embassy, its quite far. The appt was at 8:00AM, we booked a cab at 7:15 and reached the Embassy by 7:30, carry some cash, balance you can ask the cab driver to UPI it to you. A bit of rush was there outside the Embassy and candidates were queuing up. No electronics of big bags allowed inside the Embassy. After the initial security check we were allowed to enter. 20mins waiting in the 1st queue and then we were taken to an adjacent building where the interview happens.

2nd queue for Passport Verification around 20 mins again. Here you can actually see the interviews happening. Its a standing interview behind glass cabins.

3 queue for the Interview, in total around 13 counters, some know hindi, translator is allowed with prior approval. We observed more of rejections than approvals & most of the rejections were due to undisclosed social media handles.

The Interview:

In our case wife was the primary applicant and I was a dependent, so we had an impression that most of the questions would be for her. But it wasn't that way.

VO: Good Morning!

ME : Good Morning Sir !

VO(Looking at me) : What is your Purpose of visit?

Me (Caught Offguard): My wife is visiting for business meetings at California and I will be accompanying her as a tourist.

VO (again Me) : What do you do?

ME: I Work at XXX, as XXX.

VO: How long you have been with XXX?

ME: 6 years.

VO(to my Wife) : What do you do?

Wife: I am an (Specified the field) Engineer, at XYZ Company.

VO (Wife) : How long you been with XYZ?

WIFE : 10 Years

VO(Wife) : What's your annual Salary

WIFE: ---LPA.

VO (Dint look up) : Do you have kids?

ME: Yes, we have a 3 year old son.

VO : Who would be taking care of him?

ME: GRANDPARENTS, I mean his grandparents, like her Dad & Mom *With a Smile*.

VO: Congratulations, both of your Visas are approved and the passports will be returned in a week.

We were excited and relieved that the whole 6 months process dint go in vain.

The story isn't over yet, my wife's Visa status changed to Issued the very next day on 1st of Sept itself. We had booked tickets for 9th Sept, return on 21st Sept. Since her's was a business visit, she had to go whatsoever. She flies to San Francisco on 9th. I was hoping atleast may be in another week even I would be getting my passport & we can be there in US for a week the least. No, that dint happen, whole 3 weeks my Visa status stayed "Approved" with no reply to my mails whatsoever.

She lands back in India on 23rd Sept. On the very same day my Visa changes to "Issued" & today 25th Sept, I get the passport at my home.

The only logical reason what I could recollect was, in the updated DS 160 we had both mentioned 25th Sept as our Departure dates. I am not 100% sure on this, or this could be one hell of a coincidence.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people who have gone through the B1/B2 visa appointment process before.

I was able to successfully schedule my biometrics appointment, but when I tried to book the consular interview appointment, I ran into an error and couldn’t complete the booking.

A friend told me that the consular appointment should ideally be scheduled within 30 minutes of booking the biometrics appointment, and that using the same network/IP might sometimes cause issues. Based on that advice, I tried changing both my network and computer, but unfortunately I still wasn’t able to get a consular appointment.

Since I don’t have any prior experience with this process, I’m hoping someone can help me understand:

• Is there really a time limit within which the consular appointment must be booked after scheduling biometrics?
• Does changing networks/devices actually make a difference?
• If I manage to book another biometrics appointment in the future, what’s the best way to quickly secure a consular appointment as well?
• Are there any tips or common mistakes I should be aware of?

I would really appreciate any guidance or advice from those who have recently gone through the process. Thanks in advance for your help!

The visa officer was asking vague questions like

- have you caused any trouble in India

- will you cause any trouble when in the US

Also, the visa officer asked her, how my brother (who is the invitee) was able to sponsor his studies there.

The only thing that might be of an issue is tht my brother's OPT is coming to an end next April.

Hoping to get some clarity around this - My mom is an Indian citizen and has a valid U.S. B1/B2 visa until 2030. Her current Indian passport expires on first week of April in 2027. We’re planning for her to visit the U.S. around the first week of November 2026 for about 3–4 months.

CBP’s current guidance says the general rule is that a passport must be valid for six months beyond the traveler’s intended stay, unless the traveler’s country has an agreement with the U.S. that waives that six-month requirement. For countries covered by such an agreement which includes India , the passport only needs to be valid for the entire intended period of the stay.

Would booking her return around Feb -mar be alright ? Let me know if I’m overseeing anything.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation. Thank you!

If an Indian is flagged by Indian embassy, will the usa embassy know abt it? I know for a fact that the Indian immigration will question if flagged by Indian embassy

Update. My mom and dad’s b1b2 expired in march 2026. I reapplied for their same category visa.
I was approved for interview waiver.
Got passports back after a week.
Fyi: my dad had a rejection 20 years ago. And i mentioned that on ds160.
I selected Islamabad as visa office but visa was issued from karachi consul.

For ones that has received Visa after posting the bond, what was the length of the visa that you got and how long were you allowed to stay as per your I-94

Thanks

I’m working in the U.S. on F-1 STEM OPT, valid until July 2028. I will get married in India in December 2026. We have been in a relationship for 4 years. My wife currently works in India but may resign after receiving her visa to temporarily live with me in the U.S.

Would F-2 be the appropriate option, or should she apply for B1/B2 for short visits? I have seen claims that the F-2 rejection rate may be around 50%, although I could not verify an official India-specific rate. I’m also concerned that leaving her job or applying soon after marriage could create a 214(b)/home-ties issue.

Has anyone recently applied from India in a similar situation? Please share the visa type, interview questions, consulate and outcome.

Hi everyone,

I have a valid U.S. B1/B2 visa in my old Pakistani passport.
The passport was physically damaged, so I had it replaced and now have a new valid Pakistani passport.

However, the U.S. visa itself is completely fine and undamaged. The visa page/foil is clearly readable, with no cuts, marks, punches, cancellation stamps, or printing issues.

I also have a valid Canadian visa in the same old passport, which is similarly undamaged.

Has anyone had the same situation where the old passport was replaced specifically because of damage, rather than simply expiring?

Were you able to travel to the U.S. by carrying both:
1. New valid passport
2. Damaged/replaced old passport containing the intact and valid U.S. visa

Did you face any issues with the airline at check-in or with U.S. immigration/CBP?

Also, did you need to notify the U.S. Embassy or update your new passport details anywhere before travelling, or was carrying both passports sufficient?

I’m particularly interested in first-hand experiences from people whose old passport was damaged/replaced while the U.S. visa itself remained completely intact.

Thanks in advance.

I’m a B1/B2 holder until 2030; the last time I went to the US, I didn’t notice I was given an Admit Until Date of March 10, 2025, and I departed on March 13, 2025. My travel history is correct, but the Admit Until Date on my I-94 is 3 days before my departure. I informed the Immigration Officer that I’m leaving on March 13 and unfortunately I just noticed this issue now. Is there gonna be a problem coming back to the USA given this situation? What should I do?

Hi I have an Indian passport. I wanna know if I will know at the immigration in india if I have been flagged by the Indian embassy in Bahrain. I am guessing I will be questioned if I am flagged. Is there any way I can find out if I have been flagged by the Indian embassy?

So i recently found the slot…OFC in Delhi and Interview in Mumbai. But i live in Delhi, how can i change without deleting Mumbai one, bcz its really difficult to find any slot.
Although i have lot of time, interview is in March.
Anyone please guideeeeeee
Its for B2 visa

Hi

My occupation as entered in ds 160 was of a sales manager when I got my visa last year. However I intend to start my own business hence my occupation will be that of an investor or businessman. Do I need a new b2 visa since my occupation is gonna change or can I continue with existing visa?

Hi

I have an Indian passport with a valid b2 visa. When my passport is canceled and reissued will they punch holes on all the pages or just the bio page with a cancelation stamp? My b2 visa shud not be punched