Indian US Visa Applicants Face Longest Interview Waits Amid Staffing Shortages
Indian applicants for US nonimmigrant visas faced an average wait of 346 days for visitor visa interviews in fiscal year 2025, the longest among major countries studied by the US Government Accountability Office. India received about 1.45 million applications processed by only 68 consular officers, resulting in a high workload of over 21,000 applications per officer. The long waits are attributed to increased post-pandemic visa demand and insufficient staffing. Other countries like Mexico, Brazil, and China had shorter waits despite similar or higher application volumes.
First-hand measurement across 8 sources
We measured how 8 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is neutral (49/100). Lens Score 48/100.
Outlets measured: ndtv, indianexpress, moneycontrol, news18, thefinancialexpress, firstpost, economictimes, news18. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (48–50/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
news18 broke this story on 29 Sept, 03:21 am. Other outlets followed.