The US visa wait time for Indians reached a weighted average of 346 days for visitor-visa interviews in fiscal year 2025, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The figure is more than eight times India’s pre-pandemic average of 42 days in fiscal year 2019. However, the 346-day figure is a historical FY2025 weighted average for obtaining an interview and does not mean every Indian applicant waited 346 days or that the visa decision itself took nearly a year.
The GAO found that the US visa wait time for Indians was closely associated with the workload faced by U.S. consular staff in India. In FY2025, India had 68 consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas while receiving 1,455,255 applications, equivalent to approximately 21,401 applications per officer.
The report also found that U.S. visitor-visa demand had recovered strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic, while the number of consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas declined from 1,342 in FY2024 to 904 in FY2025, partly because of hiring freezes and attrition.
US Visa Wait Time for Indians: What Does 346 Days Actually Mean?
The US visa wait time for Indians figure of 346 days refers specifically to the weighted average time required to obtain an interview for a U.S. visitor visa during FY2025.
It is important to distinguish between three different stages:
- Submitting a visa application
- Waiting for the interview appointment
- Receiving a decision after the interview
The GAO’s 346-day figure relates to the second stage — obtaining an interview appointment.
It does not mean an applicant automatically waits 346 days from submitting an application to receiving a visa.
The GAO calculated average interview waiting times using data from individual U.S. consular posts. The report found the data for FY2019, FY2024 and FY2025 sufficiently reliable for reporting purposes, while it did not consider the visitor-visa wait-time data for FY2020 through FY2023 sufficiently complete.
The US visa wait time for Indians can also vary considerably depending on the consular post, appointment availability and visa circumstances.
The U.S. Department of State separately publishes appointment estimates and explains that new appointments are regularly added. Applicants who already have an appointment can also check for earlier openings and move their appointment when an earlier slot becomes available.
How Long Is the US Visa Wait Time for Indians Compared With Before COVID?
The increase in the US visa wait time for Indians becomes clearer when FY2025 is compared with FY2019.
| Measure | FY2019 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| India’s average visitor-visa interview wait | 42 days | 346 days |
| Global average visitor-visa interview wait | 26 days | 201 days |
| India increase | — | More than 8 times FY2019 |
| Global increase | — | Almost 8 times FY2019 |
According to GAO, India’s visitor-visa interview wait increased from 42 days in FY2019 to 346 days in FY2025. (GAO Files)
Globally, the average increased from 26 days to 201 days over the same period.
The increase therefore was not unique to India. However, India was among the countries where the increase was particularly large.
GAO identified 39 countries with visitor-visa interview waits exceeding 90 days in FY2025, compared with only two countries in FY2019.
India Had One of the World’s Longest Visitor Visa Queues
The US visa wait time for Indians ranked among the longest worldwide in FY2025.
GAO’s top 10 countries by average visitor-visa interview wait were:
| Rank | Country | Average wait |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia | 597 days |
| 2 | Turkey | 489 days |
| 3 | Canada* | 475 days |
| 4 | Honduras | 447 days |
| 5 | Peru | 373 days |
| 6 | Costa Rica | 356 days |
| 7 | India | 346 days |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 317 days |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 297 days |
| 10 | Uganda | 293 days |
*GAO notes that the Canadian figure concerns third-country nationals because Canadian citizens generally do not need visitor visas to enter the United States, subject to specific exceptions.
India was also one of the countries examined by GAO in greater detail because of its very high nonimmigrant visa demand.
Why Is the US Visa Wait Time for Indians So High?
The main explanation identified by GAO is a mismatch between visa demand and consular staffing.
India received approximately 1.46 million nonimmigrant visa applications in FY2025, while only 68 consular officers were working on nonimmigrant visas.
That worked out to roughly 21,401 applications per consular officer.
The comparison with other major visa-processing countries is notable:
| Country | NIV applications | Officers working on NIVs | Applications per officer | Average visitor-visa interview wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1,141,235 | 87 | 13,118 | 32 days |
| China | 1,206,011 | 119 | 10,135 | 34 days |
| India | 1,455,255 | 68 | 21,401 | 346 days |
| Mexico | 2,658,627 | 124 | 21,441 | 283 days |
GAO’s interviews with State Department officials and consular staff in India, Mexico, China and Brazil identified staffing levels relative to demand as the most significant factor contributing to interview delays.
This does not mean staffing is the only factor.
GAO also identified the post-pandemic recovery process, the complexity of applicant pools, reliance on visa agents, infrastructure and technology as factors affecting processing efficiency.
U.S. Visa Demand Has Surpassed Pre-Pandemic Levels
Another important reason behind the US visa wait time for Indians is the overall recovery in international travel and visa applications.
The number of visitor visas adjudicated by the State Department dropped dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to GAO:
- FY2019: 9.2 million visitor visas adjudicated
- FY2021: 1.5 million
- FY2025: 11.7 million
By FY2025, the number of visitor-visa adjudications had therefore surpassed the pre-pandemic FY2019 level.
At the same time, staffing did not increase proportionately.
The number of consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas increased from the pandemic-era low of 1,104 in FY2021 to 1,342 in FY2024. But it subsequently fell to 904 officers in FY2025. GAO associated the decline with hiring freezes and attrition.
This combination — strong demand and reduced staffing — contributed to longer queues.
Consular Staffing in India Is a Major Pressure Point
The US visa wait time for Indians is particularly affected by the workload at Indian posts.
GAO found that India had fewer nonimmigrant-visa officers relative to its application volume than China and Brazil.
India processed more than 1.45 million nonimmigrant visa applications with 68 officers, while China processed approximately 1.21 million applications with 119 officers. Brazil processed about 1.14 million applications with 87 officers.
GAO’s analysis does not establish that the officer-to-application ratio alone determines the wait at every post. But State Department officials interviewed by GAO identified inadequate staffing relative to demand as a major factor behind the queues.
This helps explain why the US visa wait time for Indians was substantially higher than the FY2025 averages reported for China and Brazil.
U.S. Department of State Did Not Consistently Conduct Staffing Reviews
GAO also examined the State Department’s Global Repositioning Exercise (GREX), which is intended to help assess staffing requirements and align resources with workloads at consular posts.
According to GAO, State conducted and implemented the exercise only once since FY2019.
The exercise was not conducted in FY2021 and FY2022 because of pandemic-related issues. It was also not conducted in FY2024 and FY2025 because of changing policy priorities.
GAO recommended that the State Department establish a mechanism requiring its Bureau of Consular Affairs to conduct the staffing exercise consistently.
The State Department neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendation, according to GAO. The recommendation remains open.
Are Current US Visa Wait Times in India Still 346 Days?
Not necessarily.
This is one of the most important points for Indian applicants.
The US visa wait time for Indians of 346 days is based on the GAO’s FY2025 weighted average. It should not be interpreted as a current appointment estimate for every Indian applicant in 2026.
The Department of State publishes separate, regularly updated appointment information for individual consular posts. Its system explains that appointment slots are added regularly and that applicants can sometimes move an existing appointment to an earlier available slot.
For example, the State Department’s published table shows that visitor-visa appointment availability can differ significantly among Indian posts. In the data available on the State Department page, the next available B1/B2 appointment estimates included approximately 7 months in Chennai, 10 months in Hyderabad, 11 months in Mumbai and 8.5 months in New Delhi.
These figures are appointment estimates from the State Department’s live information system and are different from the GAO’s historical FY2025 weighted average.
Applicants should therefore check the official State Department appointment system rather than using 346 days as their individual expected waiting period.
Can Indian Applicants Get an Earlier US Visa Appointment?
The State Department says applicants should regularly check the appointment system because embassies and consulates release additional appointment slots.
After initially scheduling an interview, an applicant can check for an earlier available appointment and move the appointment if a suitable slot becomes available.
This means the US visa wait time for Indians is not necessarily fixed from the moment an applicant enters the appointment system.
Availability can change as additional slots are released, appointments are cancelled or consular capacity changes.
The State Department also notes that some applicants may qualify for an interview waiver. Those appointments are not reflected in the standard interview wait-time table, so applicants should check the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate’s instructions.
Which US Visa Is Affected by the 346-Day Figure?
The 346-day figure specifically concerns visitor visa interview waits.
Visitor visas generally include applications for temporary tourism and business travel.
The broader GAO report, however, examines nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) as a whole. This category includes visitor visas as well as visas for students, diplomats and temporary workers.
Therefore, the US visa wait time for Indians reported by GAO should not be interpreted as a 346-day waiting period for every U.S. visa category.
Student, employment and other nonimmigrant visa applicants can face different appointment availability depending on the post and visa classification.
The State Department’s current wait-time system separately publishes categories for visitor visas, student/exchange visas, petition-based visas and crew/transit visas.
Long US Visa Queues Are Also Affecting the U.S. Economy
The impact of the US visa wait time for Indians extends beyond individual travel plans.
GAO found that international travel and tourism contributed approximately $176 billion to the U.S. economy in 2025.
That was:
- $5 billion below the 2024 figure
- $28 billion below the pre-pandemic level
GAO identified long visitor-visa interview waits as one factor contributing to the decline.
For prospective travelers, a long appointment queue can affect when they can make confirmed travel plans.
For the U.S. economy, delays can potentially affect spending by international visitors, including accommodation, transportation, restaurants, retail and tourism activities.
GAO also noted that the State Department must balance processing efficiency with national-security requirements, because interviews are required in most cases before a visa can be issued.
What the GAO Recommended
GAO’s central recommendation is related to staffing assessments.
The agency recommended that the Secretary of State establish a mechanism, such as a formal policy or guidance, requiring the Bureau of Consular Affairs to consistently conduct the Global Repositioning Exercise.
The purpose would be to help ensure that staffing levels at individual posts are proportionate to their workloads.
GAO considers the recommendation valid and says it remains open while the agency determines what action the State Department takes in response.
If staffing assessments are conducted more consistently, the department could have a more systematic way to identify where consular capacity is falling behind visa demand.
What Indian Applicants Should Know About the 346-Day Figure
The US visa wait time for Indians reported by GAO should be treated as an important measure of the FY2025 backlog, not as a guarantee of what an applicant will experience today.
Indian applicants planning to travel to the United States should keep several points in mind:
- The 346-day number is a weighted FY2025 average.
- It measures the wait for a visitor-visa interview, not the final visa decision.
- Appointment availability differs among U.S. consular posts.
- New appointments can be released periodically.
- Existing appointments may sometimes be moved to earlier openings.
- Some applicants may qualify for an interview waiver.
- Visa processing after the interview is separate from the appointment wait.
- Applicants should use official State Department information when planning travel.
The State Department itself warns that published average wait times do not guarantee that an applicant will receive an appointment within a particular period.
Key Numbers From the GAO Report
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| India’s FY2025 visitor-visa interview wait | 346 days |
| India’s FY2019 wait | 42 days |
| India NIV applications, FY2025 | 1,455,255 |
| India consular officers working on NIVs | 68 |
| Applications per officer | 21,401 |
| Global FY2025 visitor-visa wait | 201 days |
| Global FY2019 visitor-visa wait | 26 days |
| Global NIV officers, FY2024 | 1,342 |
| Global NIV officers, FY2025 | 904 |
| Visitor visas adjudicated, FY2019 | 9.2 million |
| Visitor visas adjudicated, FY2025 | 11.7 million |
| U.S. tourism contribution, 2025 | $176 billion |
All figures above are based on GAO’s analysis of U.S. Department of State data unless otherwise indicated.
FAQs : US Visa Wait Time for Indians
Why is the US visa wait time for Indians so long?
The GAO identified staffing levels relative to demand as a major factor. India processed about 1.46 million nonimmigrant visa applications with 68 officers working on NIVs in FY2025, resulting in approximately 21,401 applications per officer.
Is the 346-day wait for every Indian applicant?
No. The 346-day figure is a weighted average for visitor-visa interviews during FY2025. Individual waiting periods can differ by consular post and appointment availability.
Does 346 days mean it takes a year to get a US visa?
No. It refers to the average time to obtain a visitor-visa interview. It does not measure the time required to receive the final visa decision.
Has the US visa wait time for Indians increased since before COVID?
Yes. GAO reported an increase from 42 days in FY2019 to 346 days in FY2025 for India’s visitor-visa interview wait.
Which U.S. consulate in India has the shortest wait?
Appointment availability changes regularly, so there is no permanent shortest-wait consulate. The State Department publishes current estimates by post and advises applicants to check for newly released appointments.
Can I get an earlier U.S. visa appointment after booking one?
Potentially. The State Department says applicants can regularly check for newly released appointments and move an existing appointment to an earlier available slot when one becomes available.
Does the 346-day figure apply to H-1B and student visas?
No. The 346-day figure specifically concerns visitor-visa interview wait times. Other nonimmigrant visa categories can have different appointment availability.
What did GAO recommend?
GAO recommended that the State Department establish a mechanism requiring the Bureau of Consular Affairs to consistently conduct its Global Repositioning Exercise to better align staffing with workloads.
Final Takeaway On US Visa Wait Time for Indians
The US visa wait time for Indians reached a weighted average of 346 days for visitor-visa interviews in FY2025, up from 42 days before the pandemic. The GAO’s analysis points primarily to a mismatch between high visa demand and available consular staffing as a major contributor to the lengthy queues.
India handled more than 1.45 million nonimmigrant visa applications with only 68 officers working on NIVs, producing one of the highest application-per-officer workloads among the countries GAO examined.
At the same time, U.S. visitor-visa adjudications have recovered beyond pre-pandemic levels, reaching 11.7 million in FY2025, while the number of consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas fell to 904 worldwide.
Importantly, 346 days is not a current guaranteed waiting period for every Indian applicant. It is a FY2025 historical weighted average. The State Department’s appointment system is updated separately, and available interview dates can change as new slots are released.
For Indian travelers planning a U.S. trip, the practical message is to plan well ahead, monitor the official appointment system and remember that the interview wait is only one part of the overall visa process.
Source : Indian Express
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