As for US tourist visa wait times in Kolkata, they have surged to unprecedented 500 days and a B1/B2 visa interview scheduled today might occur as late as March 2026. Wait times are not an exclusive affair for Kolkata as it is a pattern affecting other cities in India also.
Long US visa processing delays plague other cities as well, besides Kolkata. Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad are some of the other big cities facing extended wait periods. Of these, Chennai has a waiting list of 469 days; in other words, Delhi has 446 days, while Hyderabad has 421 days.
“The long waiting periods in Kolkata and Chennai are due to a high regional demand, post-pandemic backlogs, and personnel shortages at consulates. Factors such as increased security measures and infrastructure issues have only added to this,” said Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO of Atlys, a visa solutions platform.
That has many people willing to apply in limbo for such a long time. On the bright side, the US government is busy streamlining the backlog process.
Understanding The B1/B2 Visa
While B1 visa is issued for business people, B2 is usually given for tourism and family visits, medical treatment, among others involving social events without paid work. In most cases, applicants for either visa receive both visas, so they can combine business with leisure during their US stay.
More Visa Slots For 2025
There are about one million more visa appointment slots to the US government to accommodate increasing applications. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this increased accommodation in a statement released on October 30, saying “That’s on top of the record number of appointments we had this past year.” This is aimed also to meet both increasing travel requirements as well as mega international events including the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, and rugby championships.
US processed 11.5 million visas in 2024. From the said 11.5 million, 8.5 million were visitor visas. In 2023, the US Consular Team in India processed 1.4 million visas that kept the visitor visa wait times to a bare 75% decrease as demand increased by 60% across visa categories.
“Blinken’s announcement to add one million additional visa appointment slots next year gives some hope that this burden on travelers may be reduced,” Nahta said.
Fewer US Flights To India End
Apart from visa issues, global issues have impacted flights between India and the US. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine made western airlines avoid flying over Russian airspace, which will in return increase travel distances and reduce non-stop flights. United Airlines and American Airlines now operate only one flight a day from Delhi to New York.
On the other hand, Air India is operating non-stop flights and is taking the advantage of the ease offered by Russian airspace. From a total of 51 non-stop weekly flights operated by the Indian national carrier to major US cities including New York, Newark, Washington, Chicago, and San Francisco, Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai are some of the major cities they are connecting to. Air India has scheduled Los Angeles and Dallas in their winter schedule.
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