India, Oct. 1 -- Indian applicants faced an average wait of 346 days for a US nonimmigrant visa interview in fiscal year 2025, nearly a year. This came as a sharp mismatch between visa demand and consular staffing contributed to longer queues, according to a new US Government Accountability Office report.

The GAO found that India recorded 1,455,255 nonimmigrant visa applications in FY2025, with just 68 consular officers working on nonimmigrant visas. That amounted to 21,401 applications per consular officer, compared with 10,135 in China and 13,118 in Brazil. India's weighted average interview wait was 346 days, compared with 34 days in China and 32 days in Brazil.

The findings are particularly significant for Indians seeking US visitor...