Indian applicants for US visitor visas had to wait an average of 346 days for an interview appointment in fiscal year 2025, according to a new report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).
This was the longest average wait among the four countries studied by the US watchdog. The report said a shortage of consular officers compared with the number of visa applicants was one of the main reasons for the long waits.
India had 68 officers for 1.45 million applications
US State Department data analysed by GAO showed that India received 1,455,255 nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applications in FY 2025. Only 68 consular officers were working on these applications. That worked out to about 21,401 applications per officer.
The workload was almost the same in Mexico, which had 2,658,627 NIV applications and 124 officers, or about 21,441 applications per officer. But India recorded the longest interview wait among the four countries.
Brazil had 1,141,235 NIV applications and 87 officers, with an average interview wait of 32 days. China had 1,206,011 applications and 119 officers, with an average wait of 34 days.
In comparison, applicants in India waited 346 days, while those in Mexico waited 283 days.
GAO said the longer waits in India and Mexico were partly linked to having fewer staff compared with the number of applications.
Visa demand has returned, but staffing has fallen
The long waits are not because fewer people are applying for US visas. Demand for visitor visas, which make up most nonimmigrant visas, has risen sharply since the pandemic.
The State Department adjudicated 9.2 million visitor visas in FY 2019. That number fell to just 1.5 million in FY 2021 as the pandemic disrupted international travel.
By FY 2025, however, the number had climbed to 11.7 million, well above the pre-pandemic level. Staffing has not kept up with that recovery.
The number of consular officers working on NIVs fell to 1,104 in FY 2021, during the pandemic. It later recovered to 1,342 in FY 2024, close to pre-pandemic levels.
But the number dropped again to just 904 in FY 2025.
State Department officials told GAO that hiring freezes and staff attrition contributed to the decline.
The result has been longer waits around the world. The average wait for a visitor visa interview increased from 26 days in FY 2019 to 201 days in FY 2025, which is almost eight times higher.
Officials in Brazil, China, India and Mexico told GAO that staffing levels compared with demand were one of the main reasons for the long waits, although other factors also played a role.
GAO said the State Department has a Global Repositioning Exercise (GREX) to match consular staffing with visa workloads, but it is not required under department policy and has been used only once since FY 2019. The exercise was skipped in some years due to COVID-19 and changing policy priorities. GAO recommended making such staffing assessments regular, but the State Department neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendation.
Long visa waits also have an economic cost
The delays could also affect the US economy because international visitors spend money on hotels, restaurants, shopping and other services. The report cited US Travel Association data showing that international travel and tourism contributed $176 billion to the US economy in 2025.
That was more than the contribution from steel or car exports. However, the figure was $5 billion lower than in 2024 and $28 billion below pre-COVID levels. The report said long waits for tourist visa interviews were one factor behind the decline.
At the same time, the State Department has to balance faster visa processing with national security concerns. Most applicants are required to attend an interview before receiving a visa.
What does the 346-day figure actually mean?
The 346 days refers to a weighted average of how long Indian applicants waited to secure an interview appointment.
It does not mean that every Indian applicant waited 346 days. The actual wait depended on the consular post and the visa category. It also does not show how long applicants waited to receive a final visa decision after their interview.
The GAO report looks at visitor visas for people travelling to the US for tourism and business. Nonimmigrant visas as a broader category also include visas for students, diplomats and temporary workers.