After a month-long closure for facility upgrades and staffing rotations, the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai reopened on 12 November, resuming routine visa interviews and American-citizen services.
Only applicants holding 23 October appointments were processed on reopening day; others whose slots were cancelled are receiving new interview notices. The consulate emphasized that F-1, M-1 and J-1 student-visa applicants must arrive with updated DS-160 confirmations and any SEVIS-fee receipts that may have expired during the pause.
![U.S. Consulate in Chennai Restarts Visa Services, Easing South-India Backlog]()
Chennai handles roughly a quarter of India’s U.S. visa volume—especially IT professionals seeking H-1B renewals—so the shutdown pushed many applicants to Hyderabad or Mumbai, extending wait times to 150 days for B-1/B-2 slots. With the building now back online and 20 additional consular officers flown in, officials expect appointment capacity to reach 100% by early December.
Corporate mobility managers should monitor rescheduling emails issued by the Visa Application Center (VAC) and advise travelers to refresh profile data on the CGI Federal portal. Companies with impending January project start dates are urged to book early‐morning slots—which the post has prioritised for work and L-1 blanket applicants—to minimise same-day administrative processing.
Only applicants holding 23 October appointments were processed on reopening day; others whose slots were cancelled are receiving new interview notices. The consulate emphasized that F-1, M-1 and J-1 student-visa applicants must arrive with updated DS-160 confirmations and any SEVIS-fee receipts that may have expired during the pause.
Chennai handles roughly a quarter of India’s U.S. visa volume—especially IT professionals seeking H-1B renewals—so the shutdown pushed many applicants to Hyderabad or Mumbai, extending wait times to 150 days for B-1/B-2 slots. With the building now back online and 20 additional consular officers flown in, officials expect appointment capacity to reach 100% by early December.
Corporate mobility managers should monitor rescheduling emails issued by the Visa Application Center (VAC) and advise travelers to refresh profile data on the CGI Federal portal. Companies with impending January project start dates are urged to book early‐morning slots—which the post has prioritised for work and L-1 blanket applicants—to minimise same-day administrative processing.
