Indian, Mexican citizens also among those facing lengthy waits

Lengthy visa processing times are stopping millions of travellers from travelling to the United States (US).

In some countries, wait times are more than 400 days for first-time applicants. However, the delays vary hugely between countries. Getting the green light to enter the US can take anywhere from three days to three years, depending on the applicant’s local embassy or consulate.

The US visitor visa is for travellers who want to enter the US for business, tourism or both, and is valid for up to 90 days. These visas are known as B-1 and B-2 visas.

However, travellers from many European countries and some, Asian and Oceanian countries benefit from a fast-track scheme. India is facing some of the longest delays. In Mumbai and other big Indian cities, the average wait time is 825 days for an interview appointment.

Jamaican, Chile, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guyana, Mexico, Nigeria and Panama all face upwards of 700-day wait times. David Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the Libertarian Cato Institute, attributes the problem to COVID-induced lockdowns at US consulates worldwide.

He told VOA News: “They just stopped doing work during COVID. And that produced what we’re seeing now, which is year-plus waits, massive backlogs and all the problems associated with that.”

He added that these are the worst the wait times have been since 9/11.