US Visa wait times are improving a lot for Indian Citizens

January 2023

Good news for Indian citizens waiting for US visas! The wait time for an interview has improved significantly. 

Hundreds of thousands of Indian citizens have been waiting to visit USA as US consulates in India have been severely impacted by staffing shortages during the past couple of years.  This exacerbated the situation due to the backlog in visa processing caused by covid 19 related consulate shutdowns. Many business visitors, tourists and parents have been waiting for years.

Following a concerted effort on the part of the US government, during the last couple of months, the situation is improving.  In particular, the wait times for applicants eligible for interview waiver has reduced to just a few days depending on the consulate office. Chennai is 6 calendar days while Hyderabad is 125 calendar days and New Delhi is 21 calendar days.  It appears that demand from Hyderabad is very high. Note that only applicants renewing a visa in the same classification are eligible for interview waivers. 

According to the latest update, the average wait time for B1 and B2 visas (which require an interview) is currently around 520 calendar days, down from nearly 1000 days in late 2022. These are nonimmigrant visas for people who want to visit the United States temporarily for business (visa category B1), tourism (visa category B2), or both.

The latest data shows that B1 and B2 visa applicants, who are required to have an interview, currently face a wait time of 494 days at the US Embassy in New Delhi and over 500 days at all other US consulates in India.

Those with immediate travel needs who qualify under certain criteria can apply for an emergency appointment, which is usually available within a few days.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price recently stated that the country is make every effort to reduce the wait time for visa interview appointments in India and the visa processing is recovering faster than expected and will return to pre-pandemic levels in the coming year.

The US State Department is currently training hundreds of staff to be deployed in India. This should help speed things up.