(INDIA) — The U.S. Department of State posted new 🇺🇸 U.S. Visitor Visa appointment data showing Mumbai as India’s slowest city for B1/B2 interviews, with an average wait of 9.5 Months.
Chennai emerged as the fastest option, with an average wait of 1.5 Months, highlighting sharp differences that can reshape travel plans for Indian applicants.
The figures, current as of February 13, 2026, add pressure on tourists, business travelers and families trying to time U.S. trips around school calendars, conferences and peak holiday seasons.
As of February 21, 2026, the updated State Department and U.S. Mission to India data pointed to sustained demand and uneven appointment availability across posts, with Mumbai’s backlog nearing the next year for many applicants.
Mumbai’s average wait time stood at 9.5 Months, with the “Next Available Appointment” listed as ~10 Months.
Hyderabad showed an average wait time of 7.5 Months, and its next available appointment was ~8 Months.
New Delhi posted an average wait time of 6.5 Months, while the next available appointment was ~8 Months.
Kolkata’s average wait time came in at 2.5 Months, and the next available appointment was ~2.5 Months.
Chennai recorded an average wait time of 1.5 Months, and its next available appointment was ~1 Month, making it the quickest among India’s consulates for interview-based visitor visa processing.
State Department wait-time metrics often confuse first-time applicants, because the published “Average Wait Time” reflects what recently scheduled applicants experienced rather than a promise of the next open slot.
Cancellations, added staffing, or temporary capacity increases can produce earlier interview dates, and applicants commonly watch the appointment portal closely after submitting the DS-160 and paying visa fees.
Mumbai’s long waits track heavy demand for both tourism and business travel, alongside repeat visitor traffic and diaspora-linked family travel that adds to overall volume.
Post-pandemic backlog management has also played a role in how quickly posts can absorb demand, with Mumbai traditionally handling one of the highest volumes of U.S. visa applications worldwide and continuing to face strain.
Chennai’s faster timeline reflects lower appointment pressure combined with improved processing capacity, and applicants can choose it even if they live elsewhere, provided they can travel for the appointment.
Under U.S. visa rules, applicants can schedule interviews at any U.S. consulate in India, regardless of their home city, though they must appear in person for required steps.
That flexibility has increasingly pushed applicants to treat consulate choice as a practical decision, especially for time-sensitive trips that cannot wait through a 9.5 Months line in Mumbai.
Families visiting students in the United States have closely tracked these gaps, particularly parents seeking B1/B2 visas to travel for graduations, medical needs, or short stays tied to academic schedules.
Business travelers have also adjusted plans, as conference dates and client meetings can fall well inside a six-month window, leaving little room for delays if applying through Mumbai or Hyderabad without earlier openings.
NRIs and frequent travelers face similar timing issues, especially for repeat trips where the travel date may be known but interview slots remain uncertain.
Applicants targeting travel within the next six months can struggle to secure interview dates in Mumbai or Hyderabad unless earlier slots appear through cancellations or newly released capacity.
U.S. Mission to India updates beyond B1/B2 interviews also shape how applicants approach the system, including where to submit documents and how to plan appointments.
An official notice from the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India, updated February 2, 2026, said: “B1/B2 interview waiver appointments have been consolidated in New Delhi beginning March 2024. Applicants are still able to submit application forms free of cost at any of the five Visa Application Centers in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, or New Delhi.”
The consolidation of interview waiver appointments in New Delhi means some applicants eligible for waivers now align their travel and paperwork around the capital, while still using Visa Application Centers in other cities.
Separate vetting and security measures have expanded in ways that applicants for other visa categories, and sometimes their families, may also notice in the appointment process.
A Department of State announcement on December 3, 2025, said: “Effective immediately, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents. to flag signs of hostility toward the U.S.”
Presidential Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, limits entry for certain nationals and document holders from 39 countries, and it has increased the overall vetting burden for consular staff even though it does not target Indian nationals.
The U.S. Mission in India also updated the consular exchange rate on February 2, 2026, setting it at 94 Indian Rupees per 1 USD, a figure that can affect rupee-denominated costs tied to consular processing.
For applicants willing to travel, consulate switching remains one of the most direct ways to reduce wait times, because a resident of western India can book an interview in Chennai or Kolkata if appointments appear sooner.
Such switching requires travel to the chosen city for both biometrics at a Visa Application Center and the in-person interview at the consulate.
Advisers commonly urge applicants to start early, because even posts with shorter waits can see rapid changes when demand surges or capacity shifts.
Monitoring appointment availability daily remains a common tactic, particularly after the DS-160 is filed and the fee is paid, because earlier slots can appear without warning.
Rescheduling to a faster post can make a difference for applicants who first booked in Mumbai or Hyderabad and then spot an earlier opening elsewhere, though each move requires travel planning and document readiness.
Keeping documentation ready matters because an earlier slot may force quick decisions, especially for families coordinating time off work, school schedules, and domestic travel within India.
Wait times for non-visitor categories are shorter in several cases, which can matter for households juggling multiple U.S. travel needs at once.
As of February 2026, F, M, and J (Student) visas in New Delhi are available in less than half a month, offering comparatively quick access for students and exchange visitors.
Work visa categories also showed shorter timelines, with H, L, O, P, and Q (Work) visas showing availability within 1.5 to 3 months across most locations.
Even with those shorter category timelines, travelers and employers still face planning constraints when family members need B1/B2 visitor visas, since the Mumbai and Hyderabad waits can far exceed typical business lead times.
Applicants and travel planners also watch how the State Department frames its numbers, since “Next Available Slot” can shift quickly while “Average Wait Time” reflects a historical look at recently scheduled cases.
The State Department publishes the global wait-time data on its Visa Wait Times page, which many applicants treat as the starting point before choosing a post.
The U.S. Mission’s updates and operational notices appear through the U.S. Embassy in India newsroom, which includes information that can affect where to submit documents and how some appointment processes run.
Travelers tracking broader U.S. immigration processing, including categories beyond visitor visas, often consult the State Department’s Visa Bulletin for separate timelines and policy signals, even though it serves different visa and immigration purposes than B1/B2 scheduling.
For many Indian applicants weighing Mumbai against Chennai, the gap between 9.5 Months and 1.5 Months has turned consulate choice into a practical step that can decide whether a 2026 trip happens on schedule.
U.S. Visitor Visa Waits in India Push Travelers to Choose Chennai Over Mumbai
U.S. visitor visa data from February 2026 highlights Mumbai as India’s slowest processing hub with 9.5-month wait times. Conversely, Chennai stands out as the most efficient option at 1.5 months. The report emphasizes that applicants are increasingly utilizing the flexibility to book appointments at any consulate to avoid long delays, especially for time-sensitive travel involving business, family graduations, or medical needs.
