US Visa Wait Times Soar in India as Staffing Shortage Takes Hold

The US consular officers in India handled an average of 21,401 nonimmigrant visa applications each in fiscal year 2025, making it the highest workload among major visa-processing countries. This staggering figure comes as interview wait times stretch to a record-breaking 346 days.

The sharp increase in interview waits coincided with a significant rise in applications, with the US State Department receiving 1,455,255 nonimmigrant visa applications in India during the year. The staffing pressure is evident, with only 68 consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas. This compares to China, which had 119 officers handling 1.2 million applications.

The long waits have been attributed to inadequate staffing compared to demand, with US consular officials stating that lower staffing levels limited the number of interviews that could be conducted and contributed to backlogs. The State Department's hiring freeze, reduction in force, and attrition also contributed to a decline in officers working on nonimmigrant visas worldwide, from 1,342 in FY24 to 904 in FY25.