Fresh State Department data show the average wait for a first-time U.S. tourist or business-visitor visa interview has climbed to 9.5 months in Hyderabad and Mumbai, with ‘next available’ dates pushing to ten months for Mumbai. New Delhi sits at 7.5 months and Kolkata at four. The spike threatens family visits, supplier audits and short-term consulting projects that anchor many Indo-U.S. business ties.
![Hyderabad and Mumbai Now Face 9.5-Month Waits for U.S. B-1/B-2 Interviews; $750 Expedited Pilot Starts 1 July]()
VisaHQ can step in well before those hurdles appear: its intuitive platform walks applicants through each DS-160 field, double-checks supporting documents, and monitors consular calendars so users can pounce on newly released appointments—visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ to see how the service cuts guesswork and saves time.
To stem the backlog, consular officials will pilot a paid fast-track programme from 1 July: applicants in selected posts may pay an extra US$750 for an interview within ten business days. The fee is optional, does not guarantee approval and is separate from the standard US$185 MRV fee. Companies planning board meetings or investor road-shows in Q4 should lock in DS-160 filings immediately and coach travellers on rescheduling hacks. Indian parents eyeing May 2027 graduations are urged to book now and monitor for earlier slots. Employers should budget for the US$750 premium where trip timing is mission-critical but remind staff that administrative processing can still add weeks post-interview. While student-visa and H/L-visa wait-times remain far shorter, the gap underscores how consular staffing models prioritise study and employment categories over discretionary travel—even when that travel underpins deal-making.
VisaHQ can step in well before those hurdles appear: its intuitive platform walks applicants through each DS-160 field, double-checks supporting documents, and monitors consular calendars so users can pounce on newly released appointments—visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/ to see how the service cuts guesswork and saves time.
To stem the backlog, consular officials will pilot a paid fast-track programme from 1 July: applicants in selected posts may pay an extra US$750 for an interview within ten business days. The fee is optional, does not guarantee approval and is separate from the standard US$185 MRV fee. Companies planning board meetings or investor road-shows in Q4 should lock in DS-160 filings immediately and coach travellers on rescheduling hacks. Indian parents eyeing May 2027 graduations are urged to book now and monitor for earlier slots. Employers should budget for the US$750 premium where trip timing is mission-critical but remind staff that administrative processing can still add weeks post-interview. While student-visa and H/L-visa wait-times remain far shorter, the gap underscores how consular staffing models prioritise study and employment categories over discretionary travel—even when that travel underpins deal-making.
