Immigration News - B-1 visa, B-2 visa, Consular Services, F-1 visa, Global visa wait times, H-1B visa, United States United States | Global visa wait times as of Dec. 12: Canada continues to have longest wait times for certain work visa appointments Share this article LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) December 19, 2025 The State Department updated global visa wait times on Dec. 12, 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. December 2025 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 compared with the November global visa wait time report. Work visa (H, L, O, P, Q) wait times for next available interview appointments showed slightly longer waits compared to last month for Hyderabad and Shanghai. These wait times are expected to increase following the State Department’s mandate published on Dec. 3 expanding the requirement for “online presence review” to include all H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents. Wait times decreased slightly for Beijing and Chennai (Madras). Student/exchange visitor visa (F, M, J) wait times for next available interview appointments showed slightly longer waits for Beijing, Guatemala City, Hermosillo and New Delhi. However, Chennai and Hyderabad saw a slight reduction in F, M and J visa next available appointment wait times. Interview-required B-1/B-2 visa average wait times for Guatemala City more than doubled to seven months. Hermosillo experienced a substantial decrease in wait times for interview-required B-1/B-2 next available appointment wait times from nine months to one-and-a-half months. 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 NA 1 month 1 month 1 month Chennai (Madras) 7 months NA NA NA Ciudad Juarez 4 months 15.5 months <0.5 months <0.5 months Guatemala City 7 months 2 months <0.5 months <0.5 months Hermosillo 6 months 1.5 months 1 month 1 month Ho Chi Minh City NA <0.5 months <0.5 months <0.5 months Hong Kong NA <0.5 months NA <0.5 months Hyderabad 3.5 months 4 months 2 months 2.5 months Mexico City 7 months 10 months NA 1 month New Delhi 2.5 months 9 months 1 month NA Shanghai NA 1 month 1 month 3.5 months The cities/posts with the longest average wait times for interview-required B-1/B-2 visas are Toronto (15.5 months), Lagos (14 months) and Tegucigalpa (11.5 months). Canadian cities/posts continue to have some of the longest average wait times for “interview required petition-based next available appointment” work visas (H, L, O, P, Q), including: Vancouver (five-and-a-half months), Ottawa (four-and-a-half months), Quebec (four-and-a-half 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. 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 became effective Oct. 1. This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group. Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.