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According to global wait-time data released by the US Department of State\u2019s Bureau of Consular Affairs, first-time applicants face the longest delay in Hyderabad, where the next available interview slot is 12 months away. Mumbai follows closely at 11.5 months, while applicants booking through the US Embassy in New Delhi face a 10-month wait. Consulates in the south and east offer comparatively faster access, with Chennai listing its next available opening at 7.5 months and Kolkata recording the shortest queue nationwide at 6.5 months.<\/p>\n
Because the US government groups short-term business travellers and holidaymakers into the same visitor visa pool, known formally as B1 and B2 visas, executives attending corporate meetings or trade summits stand in the exact same line as families visiting relatives or taking vacations. In its retrospective tracker, which measures how long applicants who completed interviews last month actually waited from fee payment, the State Department recorded an average wait of 11.5 months in Hyderabad, 11 months in Mumbai, 7.5 months in New Delhi, seven months in Chennai, and six months in Kolkata.<\/p>\n
These prolonged queues stand in contrast to student and work visas, where processing has improved considerably. Students and exchange scholars face minimal friction ahead of academic terms, waiting under two weeks for an opening in Chennai, 1.5 months in Hyderabad, two months in New Delhi and Kolkata, and 2.5 months in Mumbai. For petition-based temporary work permits, Hyderabad remains the primary bottleneck with a 5.5-month wait, while New Delhi sits at three months, Chennai and Mumbai stand at 1.5 months, and Kolkata clears appointments in just one month.These wait times are forward-looking estimates rather than set dates. Embassies and consulates periodically open extra interview slots and release cancelled bookings, allowing applicants holding distant dates to check the portal and reschedule earlier without fees. Importantly, these delays apply only to applicants required to attend an in-person interview, while travellers eligible to renew an existing visa through the dropbox waiver system continue to receive their passports within two to six weeks.<\/div>\n