The wait times for Indian applicants seeking a United States visitor visa may differ sharply based on the city they are applying from, as per the data released by the US Department of State.
The data was released on February 13, 2006, which reveals that there is only a month’s worth of wait period for applicants, applying for the next B1/B2 interview, in Chennai.
In stark contrast, Mumbai has a wait period of about 10 months. News Delhi and Hyderabad are not far behind, with a wait period of eight months.
The State Department’s Global Visa Wait Times portal’s data reveals that the backlogs for student (F, M, J) and work (H, L, O, P, Q) visas vary across consulates. Several categories of the visas move faster than the others.
The data reveals that Mumbai is the most backlogged city in terms of the US visa wait. The metropolitan has a 9.5-month average wait, and a 10-month next available slot for B1/B2 visas.
New Delhi shows a 6.5-month average wait, but at the same time the next available appointment is in eight months. Hyderabad with a 7.5-month average wat has a next slot availability in eight months.
What Does This Mean?
The difference in waiting periods suggests that applicants can move to other cities, in case they want to hasten their visa application process. Remaining stuck is not an option anymore.
The data also suggests that student visa categories (F, M, J) show shorter waiting periods, regardless of the city. New Delhi has an availability in less than half a month in this category, notwithstanding the overall waiting period of more than eight months.
Chennai has a wait period of only one month in the student visa category, while Mumbai and Hyderabad have a waiting span of 2.5 months.
Besides, petition-based work visas (H, L, O, P, Q) also have a faster movement, with under half a month of wait in New Delhi, 1.5 months in Mumbai, and 3 and 2 months in Hyderabad, and Chennai respectively.
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