US visa delays worsen: Wait times cross one year, rescheduling tightens amid stricter rules

Delays across categories for US visa

Amid US President Donald Trump's visa crackdown, not only students but applicants across all categories including business and tourist visas are facing increased challenges.

According to the Economic Times, appointment wait times now exceed a year in some regions, rescheduling is becoming more difficult, and visa interviews are growing more detailed and stringent.

Visa appointment availability in some western regions has now been pushed to nearly 18 months, with some slots extending into late 2026, according to travel agencies and industry insiders cited by Economic Times. In northern, eastern, and southern regions, the wait time is reportedly around one year.

Under updated US visa rules effective May, applicants who miss their scheduled interview or interview-waiver appointments will be blocked from booking a new one for 120 days. From January 1, 2025, appointments can only be rescheduled once down from the previous limit of two times, according to agents familiar with the process.

Appointment wait times for U.S. visas are now exceeding one year, surpassing earlier post-COVID delays, according to  “Earlier, slots were available within 8–12 months, but now even that window is slipping,” he said. Jain also noted a rise in visa rejections, with some well-documented business and leisure applicants being denied.

The appointment wait time is now surpassing the earlier post COVID delays according to Kapil Jain, cofounder and CEO of Fly Divine Travel he said, "Before January, it was taking about 8-9 months to one year for an appointment. You could get it in less than a year. But now that one year timeline is also getting breached. Rejection rates also seem to have gone up, and we know of applicants who got rejected for business and leisure visas despite solid documentation."

The report also noted that due to long wait times in India, applicants with urgent work obligations are traveling to countries like Singapore and Thailand to secure US visa appointments, according to Himanshu Patil, director of Kesari Tours and president of the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India.

This signals that applicants flying to Singapore and Thailand are getting appointment faster.

Patil further mentioned that such delays are not there for countries like China "where appointments are available in a matter of weeks. Since there is no intervention by the government."

In a post on X earlier this March, the US Embassy in India revealed that nearly 2,000 visa appointments had been canceled after being flagged as bot-generated. A subsequent update in May announced that the Department of State was preparing to enforce visa restrictions on the owners, executives, and top officials of Indian travel agencies found to be knowingly assisting illegal immigration to the United States.

The specific agencies involved were not named. As of Sunday’s press time, no response was received from CGI, the agency that handles visa processing support for U.S. embassies and consulates.

According to Kartik Batra, founder of the travel services firm Travexo, “Appointment timelines continue being stretched with appointments available one year down the line. As a result, people who have to travel urgently fall prey to unethical practices. A new visa case for business or leisure travel could take one year or more.” He also noted an increase in scrutiny surrounding US visa appointments.