New Delhi: Indian nationals seeking to travel to the United States are facing significantly longer waits for visitor visa interviews, with a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing an average wait of nearly a year. The report said applicants in India waited an average of 346 days for a visitor visa interview appointment in 2025. This figure denotes only the waiting period for an interview slot, and does not reflect the total processing time for a visa once the interview is conducted.
The report noted that approximately 1.455 million applications for US non-immigrant visas were filed from India in 2025, while only 68 US consular officers nationwide were tasked with processing them, resulting in a heavy caseload per officer. The surge in applications, unmatched by a corresponding rise in staffing, has led to the delays, the report said.
India’s wait times stand out even in international comparison. Applicants in China waited an average of 34 days for a visitor visa interview, while those in Brazil waited 32 days. Mexico recorded a wait of 283 days. India ranks seventh among countries with the longest wait times. Officials attributed the backlog to a sharp rise in visa applications following the pandemic that was not matched by proportional increases in consular staffing.
The audit further identified a shortage of interview counters at the US Embassy in New Delhi, with officials noting hundreds of applicants waiting outside the embassy premises and in adjoining areas. The report also referred to certain agents found booking interview slots as soon as they became available and reselling them to clients. In response, the US State Department has introduced changes to its visa appointment system and expanded online processing for certain visa categories that do not require an in-person interview.
Separately, the US administration is expected to intensify scrutiny of H-1B work visas. US Vice President JD Vance said companies that have laid off American employees would face closer examination if they subsequently sought H-1B visas to hire foreign workers. He said it was inappropriate for companies to cite staffing needs to obtain H-1B visas while simultaneously terminating thousands of American employees. Vance’s remarks indicate the administration is considering stricter norms to prevent companies that have cut American jobs from using the H-1B route to replace them with foreign workers.