Neelam Shinde Accident: Why you might not be able to catch the next flight to US even in emergencies?

Neelam Shinde, a Master of Computer Science student from Maharashtra's Satara who was residing in California for the past four years, was rendered comatose after a car hit her from behind on February 14. The Indian student is admitted to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. Her father, Tanaji Shinde, who was informed about his daughter two days after the accident, had applied for an emergency visa appointment to facilitate his visit to the US. However, the Shinde family was informed that the next available date for an interview was in 2026.

That was when the family approached NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule, who sought the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Following this, Tanaji Shinde received a call from the US Embassy in Mumbai on Thursday, and he was given the 9 am slot on Friday, February 28.

Neelam Shinde's family told NDTV that they had applied for a visa 48 hours after her accident on February 14, but the application has been pending with the US Embassy since then.

What is US Emergency Visa?

The US does grant 'emergency' visa appointments in case a family member is seriously ill or dead.

According to the Indian government's official documents, since December 13, 2021, VFS Global has started accepting Emergency Visa applications.

The Emergency Visa service is only for US passport holders of Indian origin and their family members required to visit India due to a genuine family emergency, such as a critical illness or death of a family member.

“Documentary evidence will need to be provided and the applicant will be charged an emergency service fee,” the official document reads.

This process allows applicants to request an earlier visa interview date due to critical circumstances such as:

Medical Emergencies: Urgent medical care for oneself or a family member.

Family Emergencies: Funerals or serious illnesses of close relatives.

Urgent Business Travel: Essential business trips that cannot be postponed.

Students or Exchange Visitors: Educational commitments within a tight timeframe.

How can you apply for US Emergency Visa and appointment?

In case of a medical emergency, the request for expedited appointment needs to be substantiated with a written record from a doctor, who can request the US government to expedite visa interview appointments in the applicant's nation.

There are, however, limited slots for expedited or emergency visa applications.

You might need to provide documentation such as:

• A letter from a doctor in your home country
• A letter from a US doctor or hospital
• Details of the deceased/patient
• Documentation proving your relationship with the deceased/patient
• Documentation showing potential loss if you miss a business event
• Supporting letters from both the home and US companies
  
  CHECK LIST FOR DOCUMENTS FOR EMERGENCY VISA TO US

How to get emergency appointment for US visa?

To get an emergency appointment for a US visa, you have to schedule a regular visa appointment online and select “Request Expedite”. You have to make sure that your request for an emergency visa contains the following details:

• Your destination in US
• The date when you will be departing
• The reason why you are visiting the US
• The date you discovered you needed to travel to the US
• The date on which you scheduled your visa appointment
• The date of the regular appointment you currently have (you have to attach the confirmation sheet)

Who can Apply for US Emergency Visa?

• You or your minor child need urgent medical treatment in the US.
• You have a death in the family in the US
• Your family member is gravely ill
• You are an exchange student applying for an exchange visa, but the program date is scheduled to start earlier than the available visa appointment dates
• You have unexpected business dealings that will happen during the ten days after the first available appointment
• You have to visit the US unexpectedly for a significant cultural, political, sporting, or journalistic event that will happen around 10 days after the first available visa appointment
• You are no longer an eligible applicant for ESTA

How soon can you get US Emergency Visa interview slot?

To obtain a US Emergency Visa, you can request an expedited appointment for urgent travel situations.

While the Indian Embassy does not define the time period required to process an ‘Emergency Visa’ to the US, an expedited interview slot is typically allotted within two to five working days after submitting the request.

Once the emergency visa is approved, you will have five working days to choose the emergency visa travel dates.