DELHI— Indian travelers and visa applicants face widely different waiting periods for U.S. visa appointments depending on the category and consular post they choose.
The latest U.S. Department of State data, updated September 17, 2026, shows that B1/B2 visitor visa applicants could wait up to 12 months for an appointment in Hyderabad, while student and exchange applicants can find appointments considerably sooner.
The figures cover five U.S. visa posts in India: Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
The State Department lists separate timelines for B1/B2 visitor visas, F/M/J student and exchange visas, petition-based H/L/O/P/Q categories, and crew and transit visas.
US Visitor Visa Wait Times
B1/B2 visitor visas have the longest appointment waits across all five Indian posts.
Hyderabad has the longest next-available appointment at 12 months, followed by Mumbai at 11.5 months, New Delhi at 10 months, Chennai at 7.5 months, and Kolkata at 6.5 months.
The State Department also provides average B1/B2 waiting times when the next available appointment is more than three months away.
Those averages stand at 11.5 months in Hyderabad, 11 months in Mumbai, 7.5 months in New Delhi, 7 months in Chennai and 6 months in Kolkata.
These figures are particularly relevant for travelers planning holidays, business trips or family visits to the United States, as securing an interview can become a significant part of the travel-planning timeline.
Student Visa Appointments
The waiting period is substantially shorter for applicants seeking F, M or J visas, which cover student and exchange visitor categories.
Chennai has the next available appointment in less than half a month, while Hyderabad lists 1.5 months.
Kolkata and New Delhi each show a two-month wait, while Mumbai lists 2.5 months.
This means applicants in different visa categories can encounter very different appointment timelines even when applying through the same U.S. consular post.
Work Visa Timelines
For petition-based H, L, O, P, and Q visas, Hyderabad has the longest listed wait among the five Indian posts at 5.5 months.
New Delhi follows with three months, while Chennai and Mumbai each list 1.5 months and Kolkata lists one month.
The State Department groups these petition-based classifications together, so the figures do not provide separate appointment estimates for individual categories such as H-1B or L-1.
The published data also changes as consulates release additional appointment slots.
Applicants who have already scheduled an interview can continue checking the appointment system and move to an earlier slot if one becomes available, Hindustan Times reported.
The department updates its Global Visa Wait Times information monthly and cautions that the published estimates do not guarantee an appointment within the stated period.
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