In any case, the frequent traveller normally encounters no such problem. I am not a member of that exclusive club but having been to the US occasionally and having lived there once for close to three years and yes, come back to India, I got my visa with no hiccups. One good sign of the times is that at last day flights are originating from India. We left Delhi by sas at the comfortable time of 11.30 in the day, and eventually landed at Newark airport a little after 10 in the night. You reach without feeling like an afterthought.