“Almost 1.2 million people waiting for US visas by next summer”, predicted a senior official at the US embassy. After the country was struck by the Covid-19 outbreak, operational disruptions were a major factor in the exponential rise in wait times. Due to rigorous regulations and a lack of employees, appointment demand for visas increased drastically for all categories.

In a statement on November 17, titled “addressing US visitor visa wait times”, the US State Department said it is committed to facilitating “legitimate travel” to the US while safeguarding national security. “The combination of pent-up demand from the past two years combined with regular seasonal demand has resulted in extended wait times for US visa interview appointments in some locations – most notably for first-time visitor visa applicants and immigrant visa applicants in some countries...”

“…The Department of State is successfully lowering visa interview wait times worldwide. We have doubled our hiring of US Foreign Service personnel to do this important work, visa processing is rebounding faster than projected, and in the fiscal year 2023, we expect to reach pre‑pandemic visa processing levels… We have used innovative technological solutions to electronically redistribute non-immigrant visa workloads from overseas posts with high visa appointment wait times to other posts with additional capacity…” the statement said.

The majority of routine non-immigrant visa appointments at the US embassies in New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai required extended processing times. The State Department website states that as of Tuesday, the waiting times for B1/B2 candidates who need an interview are

• Mumbai-999 days
• Hyderabad-994 days
• Delhi-961 days
• Chennai-948 days
• Kolkata-904 days

The US State Department tweeted, “As of November 2022, the global median wait time for a tourist visa (B1/B2) interview appointment is less than two months. Emergency appointments are available within days for applicants who meet the criteria. We are committed to reducing wait times as quickly as possible.”

Washington values its ties with India highly (for visa issuance). By the middle of 2019, the official stated that they wanted to return the situation to its pre-Covid-19 state. India was one of the only countries to experience a marked increase in requests for US visas after the coronavirus's travel restrictions were relaxed. Given the long wait times for visa issuance, the US is increasing the number of "dropbox" locations and hiring more workers, the source claimed. Every month, 100,000 visas have to be issued.

The source claims that the United States has given Indians priority for H (H1B) and L (L) category visas, and recently, 1,000,000 seats were made available for those looking to renew their visas. The wait times for some categories have dropped from 450 days to 9 months or fewer. The nine-month wait period for B1 and B2 (business and tourist) visas is being shortened, according to the officials. According to the source, India will surpass China to overtake it as the second-most popular destination for American visas. China and Mexico have currently surpassed India.

In order to shorten wait periods, especially for students seeking renewals, the source added that priority is being given to USA student visas. Foreign nationals use the "drop box" service of the US Department of State to renew their visas without going through the customary interview process. To use the drop box service, a candidate must have received a US visa within the previous four years.

This indicates that the waiting period for those applying for their first tourist visa or for those who do not qualify for an Indian drop box application (interview waiver) is rapidly approaching three years. A first-time B1/B2 applicant may therefore now receive an interview date in late 2025. The United States issued about 82,000 visas in the previous year. In Hyderabad, the wait time for F, M, and J visas is only 14 days, compared to 43 days in Delhi. Kolkata has a 10-day wait time, compared to Chennai's 42-day wait period

The US embassy has taken measures to prepare for the growth as it anticipates a 10% increase in student visa applications this year. This includes expanding the embassy's workforce and available materials in India. By summer 2023, the US Embassy will have 100% councilor staff, which will be the most in ten to twelve years. The staff must also undergo time-consuming training in five to six Indian languages. The embassy has appointed temporary vice counsels due to the current staff shortfall and aims to have 100% permanent vice counsel once the backlog is cleared.
[Read More: How to Apply for US Temporary Business Visitor (B1)Visa]