United States | Global visa wait times as of April 15

The State Department updated global visa wait times on April 15, 2026.

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.

April 2026 global visa wait times chart highlights

The following are selected chart highlights from the latest global visa wait times of some of the cities/posts that historically have the most visa issuances. The current report data is compared against the March global visa wait times report.

Some of the cities/posts with the longest average wait times for work visas (H, L, O, P, Q) for this reporting period include: Abu Dhabi (14.5 months), Abuja (6.5 months), Abidjan (6 months), Ottawa (5 months), Quebec (5 months) and Vancouver (4.5 months). Beijing wait times increased from 2.5 months to 3.5 months. Chennai/Madras wait times are currently averaging 3.5 months. Kolkata wait times slightly decreased from 1.5 months to 1 month. Hyderabad, Mumbai/Bombay and New Delhi wait times remained the same as last reporting period.

Some of the cities/posts with the longest average wait times for interview-required B-1/B-2 visas for this reporting period include: Toronto (14 months), Kinshasa (13.5 months), Vancouver (12.5 months), Bogota (12 months), Calgary (12 months) and Ottawa (10.5 months). Wait times for most of India’s cities/posts were at or exceeded 5 months, with Chennai experiencing the lowest wait times at 4 months. However, Mumbai did show a decrease in wait times from 9 months to 7 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.

Post-specific instructions are available on the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where the applicant schedules their interview. 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, 2025, and became effective Oct. 1, 2025.

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

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