US visa wait time has reached an average of 346 days for Indian applicants seeking a visitor visa interview, according to a recent US Government Accountability Office assessment covering fiscal year 2025.
The figure highlights the pressure on the US visa processing system in India, where demand for nonimmigrant visas has remained high while consular staffing has not kept pace.
US Visa Wait Time Reaches 346 Days for Visitor Visa Interviews
The 346-day figure refers specifically to the average time Indian applicants waited to obtain an interview for a US visitor visa.
It does not mean that every applicant has to wait exactly 346 days, nor does it include the time taken to make a final decision after the interview.
India received around 1.45 million nonimmigrant visa applications during FY2025.
The US had 68 consular officers handling nonimmigrant visa applications in India, resulting in an average workload of about 21,401 applications per officer.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian applicants waited an average of about 42 days for a US visitor visa interview. The FY2025 average of 346 days was therefore more than eight times that pre-pandemic level.
Why Are US Visa Queues So Long in India?
The US government assessment linked the long waits largely to a mismatch between visa demand and available consular staffing. Visa demand recovered strongly after the pandemic, while staffing levels did not increase at the same pace.
Globally, the number of US consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas fell to 904 in FY2025, compared with 1,342 in FY2024.
The Government Accountability Office said staffing and workload imbalances contributed to long interview queues at several posts.
The report also examined the US State Department’s Global Repositioning Exercise, which is intended to help align consular staffing with workload.
The exercise was not conducted in FY2024 and FY2025 amid changing policy priorities.
Current Appointment Waits Can Vary by City
The historical 346-day average should not be treated as the current appointment wait for every Indian applicant. More recent appointment availability varies considerably between US consular posts in India.
Visitor visa applicants may therefore face different waiting periods depending on the city, appointment availability and other factors.
The US State Department can also release additional appointment slots, which may change published waiting times.
The longer queues mainly affect visitor visa applicants.
Student and exchange visitor categories, as well as some petition-based work visa categories, have generally had shorter appointment waits at several Indian posts.
What the 346-Day Figure Actually Means
For Indians planning a US trip, the key point is that 346 days represents a historical average for securing a visitor visa interview during FY2025.
It is not a guarantee that an applicant today will wait that long.
The actual process can vary by consular post and visa category, while the time taken after an interview to reach a final visa decision is separate from the interview waiting period.
