US Tourist Visa Wait Time in India: How Long Is the Wait for a B1/B2 Visa Appointment?

Nothing builds character like the wait for a US Visa. Last year, Indians waited on an average 346 days for a US visitor visa interview. One would have imagined things would change for the better in 2026. Alas, the long queue to get through to interviews have only turned into memes online. After all, humour is a great coping mechanism.

According to a new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), in fiscal year 2025, Indian visa applicants waited eight times more than the 42-day average. Even the State Department data which has been updated on September 17, 2026 suggests B1/B2 visitor visa applicants could wait up to 12 months for an appointment in Hyderabad. Whereas, student visa data shows the wait of two months in Kolkata and New Delhi and 2.5 months in Mumbai, Hyderabad. The two cities also happen to have the longest petition-based work visa waitlist of over 5.5 months.

So, before you go back to US visa memes to cope, here's everything you need to know about the delays, why the queues are so long, and what to keep in mind while applying.

It may come as news to many, but India is among several countries currently experiencing long delays in US visas. In fact, as of September 17, 2026, while the demand for US visa has not shrunk in any way despite some of the worse delays in recent history, India ranks 7th among countries with the longest waits as per a GAO analysis.

Colombia is currently experiencing 597 days long visa delays, Turkey with 489, Canada has an average of 475 days wait whereas, the UAE (317) and Bangladesh (297) just sit below India. So, what's causing a global delay in applications which are non-immigrant visas i.e., tourist visas?

The State Department runs a Global Repositioning Exercise (GREX) to match staff to workloads across posts. According to the GAO, it has been carried out only once since FY2019. It was skipped in FY2021 and FY2022 because of Covid, and in FY2024 and FY2025 because of changing policy priorities. While the GAO recommended that the department require the exercise to be run consistently, the State Department has neither agreed nor disagreed on the matter.

State officials also pointed to a factor specific to India: many people apply for a visitor visa as a status symbol with no real intention of travelling to the US, and screening for this takes extra time.

The State Department's own guidance says wait times are estimates based on workload and staffing, can change week to week, and are generally the maximum wait, since new appointments are added continuously and applicants may be able to move their dates up. These estimates do not include administrative processing or passport return time.

Applicants should:

• Apply as early as possible and check the current wait time for their consulate on the State Department's Global Visa Wait Times page.

• Compare waits across Indian posts, which currently differ by several months for visitor visas.

• Complete the DS-160, pay the fee and book the first available slot before requesting an expedited appointment.

• Remember that expedited slots are reserved for urgent, unforeseen situations such as a medical emergency, a funeral or a school start date. Weddings, graduations, conferences and last-minute tourism do not qualify.

• Check the embassy's website to see whether they are eligible for an interview waiver.

It depends on the city and visa type. The most recent State Department update (September 17, 2026) shows B1/B2 visitor visa waits of up to 12 months in Hyderabad.

• Hyderabad: 9.5 months (now up to 12)

• Mumbai: 9.5 months

• New Delhi: 7.5 months

• Chennai: 5.5 months

• Kolkata: 4 months

Student and exchange visa waits are much shorter, about 2 to 2.5 months in Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai. Work visas (H, L, O, P, Q) run up to 5.5 months in Hyderabad. These are averages, not guarantees, and the department updates them monthly, so be sure to look on the official website for the latest updates.