Visa Status

Guide

U.S. visa interview wait times, explained

Before you can get most U.S. visas you need an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The State Department publishes how long people wait. These numbers are easy to misread, so here is what they mean.

Two different numbers

  • Next available appointment: how long a new applicant would wait for the first open slot, based on what the embassy shows today. It is a forecast.
  • Average wait time: how long people actually waited last month, from paying the fee to the interview date. It looks back.

Why they can be different

Embassies release new appointment slots regularly, and people can move to an earlier slot when one opens. So someone who booked a far-away date may end up with a shorter average wait than the “next available” date suggests. The State Department says the average wait is given for visitor (B1/B2) visas only where the next available appointment is more than three months away.

How the numbers are counted

The State Department counts months as 30 days and half months as 15 days, including weekends and holidays when embassies are closed. “Under 15 days” means the figure printed as “< 0.5 month”. NA means no figure is given for that visa type at that embassy.

What the visa columns mean

Waits are given by group: visitors (B1/B2), students and exchange visitors (F, M, J), temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q) and crew and transit (C, D). A visa such as H1B is part of the temporary workers group, so the number shown is for the whole group.

Tips

  • Check the embassy's own website for the latest appointment slots; they change often.
  • Some applicants can use an embassy in another city or country, where the wait may be shorter. Check the rules for your visa first.
  • Some embassies waive the in-person interview for eligible applicants. Waived cases are not reflected in these numbers.

Related

Visa Status is an unofficial site. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the State Department and USCIS for your own case.