US Visitor Visa Wait Time Increase To Over 500 Days, With No Appointments Available Until 2024; Check Waiting Time In Your Cities Here
Indians will have to wait until 2024 to successfully book a U.S visitor visa appointment, according to the US Department of State travel Travel.State.Gov website. The average waiting time for visitor visa is over 500 days i.e. almost one and half year, means if you apply for visa this month then appointment date is expected by 2024.
As per the US Department of State travel Travel.State.Gov website, the appointment for visitor visa in the US consulate at New Delhi is 582 calendar days and 471 days for student visas. In Mumbai, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 517 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 10 days for a student visa. In Hyderabad, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 518 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 479 days for a student visa. In Kolkata, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 587 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 2 days for a student visa. In Chennai, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 513 Calendar days for a visitor visa and 8 days for a student visa.
| U.S. Embassy | Visitor Visa | Student/Exchange Visitor Visas | Other Nonimmigrant Visa |
| New Delhi | 582 Calendar Days | 471 Calendar Days | 100 Calendar Days |
| Mumbai | 580 Calendar Days | 12 Calendar Days | 100 Calendar Days |
| Chennai | 513 Calendar Days | 8 Calendar Days | 185 Calendar Days |
| Hyderabad | 510 Calendar Days | 471 Calendar Days | 197 Calendar Days |
| Kolkata | 587 Calendar Days | 2 Calendar Days | 206 Calendar Days |
Calendar days refer to every day of the week, including days when embassies are closed (such as weekends and holidays).
According to the official website, the estimated wait time for an interview appointment at a US Embassy or Consulate varies weekly and is based on actual incoming workload and staffing. These are only estimates and do not guarantee appointment availability.
The US embassy stated in response to the lengthy delays that the Department of State is committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the US for both immigrant and non-immigrant travellers.
“The US government is taking steps to reduce wait times and backlogs by actively addressing consular staffing gaps created by the pandemic, including by onboarding andt raining new employees. The Department of State has doubled consular hiring of US officers this fiscal year over last year, and newlyt rained employees are making their way to overseas consular adjudicator positions, including in India.”
“Visa processing is rebounding after a near-complete shutdown and freezing of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this recovery, the US government is prioritising national interest and repeatt ravel (for applicants who have already had a US visa), which may mean that somet ravellers applying for their first visitor visa experience a longer wait time,” the statement further said.
Visa processes for other countries are also delayed!
Apart from the United States, visa applications and processing take a long time in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and for most of the Schengen countries and so on.]
- The visa processing time for the United Kingdom has increased to 4-10 weeks.
- Germany no longer accepts permanent residency visas.
- The Visa processing time for Greece and Spain can be as long as six to eight weeks.
According to a visa update published on the Government of Canada website, the current visitor visa waiting time in Canada is 158 days.
“This processing time does not include the time it takes to send an application between a visa application centre and our office, as well as the time you need to give your biometrics,” the website adds.
