Nine and a half months — that is how far ahead applicants in Mumbai and Hyderabad must now plan just to sit for a B1/B2 interview for the United States, according to the State Department's tracker updated June 18, 2026. New Delhi quotes 7.5 months, Chennai 5.5; across most Indian posts the wait rose by at least two months in one cycle, a jump of roughly 36%. Kolkata is the lone exception, easing from 4.5 to 4 months.
Since Indian passports are not part of the US Visa Waiver Program, the B1/B2 remains the standard route for tourism, business meetings and family visits — and the interview date, not the flight, is now the item to secure first. Wedding season 2027, a conference next autumn, a graduation in May: the paperwork clock starts today.
For context, Toronto tops the global list at 21 months, so India is not alone — but the direction of travel across Indian posts is clearly the wrong one.