The US visa appointment wait times have been updated by the State Department on January 14, 2026. The wait times for next available interview appointments for visa categories — H, L, O, P, Q visas — have increased for Chennai, while B-1/B-2 visa average wait times decreased slightly for Hyderabad and New Delhi.
Wait Times for Indians
According to the BAL U.S. Practice Group, Work visa (H, L, O, P, Q) wait times for next available interview appointments showed increased wait times compared to last month for Beijing and Chennai. These wait times are expected to increase following the State Department’s mandate published December 3, 2025, expanding the requirement for ‘online presence review’ to include all H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents.
Interview-required B-1/B-2 visa average wait times decreased slightly for Hyderabad and New Delhi. However, Chennai showed a dramatic decrease in wait times month-over-month from seven months to 1.5 months.
Wait Times — Chennai
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas average wait times: 1.5 months
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas, next available appointment: 1.5 months
Interview required F, M, J visas, next available appointment: 1month
Interview required petition-based H, L, O, P, Q visa,s next available appointment: 3 months
Wait Times — Hyderabad
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas average wait times: 2.5 months
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas, next available appointment: 4 months
Interview required F, M, J visas, next available appointment: 2 months
Interview required petition-based H, L, O, P, Q visas next available appointment: 2.5 months
Wait Times — New Delhi
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas average wait times: 2 months
Interview required B-1/B-2 visas, next available appointment: 8 months
Interview required F, M, J visa,s next available appointment: 1 month
Interview required petition-based H, L, O, P, Q visas next available appointment: N/A
Global Average Wait Time
Compared to an approximate global average wait time of less than 15 days to one month, Canadian cities/posts continue to have some of the longest average wait times for “interview required petition-based next available appointment” work visas, including Ottawa (6.5 months), Quebec (6.5 months) and Vancouver (4.5 months).
Although Shanghai’s average wait times for the work visa categories decreased by three months, it did see an increase in average wait times for student/exchange visitor visas (F, M, J) by 2.5 months, bringing the wait times for F, M and J visas to 3.5 months.
The cities/posts with the longest average wait times for interview-required B-1/B-2 visas for this reporting period are Toronto (18 months), Tegucigalpa (16.5 months), Merida (10.5 months), Ottawa (10 months) and Vancouver (10 months).
Things to Know
The average wait times reported do not guarantee a visa applicant will get an appointment within a specific time. U.S. embassies and consulates regularly release additional appointment slots. Applicants who want an earlier appointment slot after initially scheduling their interview should check back frequently and move their appointment to another slot if available, according to BAL U.S. Practice Group.
Wait times are calculated in months in 30-day increments and half-months in 15-day increments. Average wait times are provided for B-1/B-2 visas only in cases where the next available appointment is more than three months away.
Post-specific instructions are available on the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where the applicant schedules their interview. Applicants should be aware that there may be limitations on how many times they can reschedule an appointment. Appointment calendar access for a specific post may not be accessible until the DS-160 visa application has been submitted and the required fee has been paid. (The fee is typically nontransferable across countries.)
Embassies and consulates may waive the in-person interview requirement for eligible applicants. Wait times for these appointments are not reflected in the visa wait times.
Interview Waiver Policy
The US interview waiver policy, also called Dropbox, for foreign workers on temporary visas, international students on F-1 visas, and many other US travelers, has already been withdrawn. That means these US travelers will have to mandatorily attend the visa interview.
The interview waiver eligibility was last updated on September 18 and became effective on October 1. That leaves most US travellers to take a visa appointment to get an approval to visit the US.