The State Department updated global visa wait times on Sept. 17, 2025.

The average wait times reported do not guarantee a visa applicant will get an appointment within a specific time. U.S. embassies and consulates regularly release additional appointment slots. Applicants who want an earlier appointment slot after initially scheduling their interview should check back frequently and move their appointment to another slot if available.

Chart highlights

Excerpted below are chart highlights from the latest global visa wait times of some of the cities/posts that historically have the most visa issuances. Most notably, while Chennai (Madras) saw B-1/B-2 average wait times reduced by 72% month over month, New Delhi saw wait times for B-1/B-2 next available appointments more than double.*:

City/Post Interview required B-1/B-2 visas average wait times Interview required B-1/B-2 visas next available appointment Interview required F, M, J visas next available appointment Interview required petition-based H, L, O, P, Q visas next available appointment
Beijing N/A <0.5 months 1 month <0.5 months
Chennai (Madras) 2.5 months 3 months 2 months 1 month
Ciudad Juarez 5.5 months 10 months <0.5 months <0.5 months
Guatemala City 13.5 months 11 months N/A <0.5 months
Hermosillo 20.5 months 7.5 months <0.5 months <0.5 months
Ho Chi Minh City N/A <0.5 months <0.5 months <0.5 months
Hong Kong N/A <0.5 months N/A <0.5 months
Hyderabad 3 months 3.5 months 2 months 3 months
Mexico City 9.5 months 10 months N/A 1 month
New Delhi 3.5 months 12 months 2 months N/A
Shanghai N/A 1 month 1 month <0.5 months

The cities/posts with the longest average wait times for B-1/B-2 visas were Hermosillo (20.5 months), Tegucigalpa (18 months), Lagos (15.5 months), Toronto (15.5 months), Bogota (15 months), Tijuana (14.5 months) and Ottawa (12 months).

Additional Information: More details on the different visa categories referenced in the table can be found here. Wait times are calculated in months in 30-day increments and half-months in 15-day increments. Average wait times are provided for B-1/B-2 visas only in cases where the next available appointment is more than three months away.

Applicants are reminded that post-specific instructions are available on the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where the applicant schedules their interview. Links to U.S. embassies and consulates can be found here. Applicants should be aware there may be limitations on how many times they can reschedule an appointment. Calendar access for a specific post may not be accessible until the DS-160 visa application has been submitted and the required fee has been paid. (The fee is typically nontransferable across countries.)

Embassies and consulates may waive the in-person interview requirement for eligible applicants. Wait times for these appointments are not reflected in the visa wait timetables. Please check the individual U.S. embassy or consulate website to find out if a waiver of the in-person interview is available. Interview waiver eligibility was last updated on Sept. 18 and will be effective Oct. 1.

*The current global visa wait times were compared with global visa wait times posted by the State Department on Aug. 18, 2025.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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