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The State Department updated global visa wait times on July 29, 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 available slot if available.
Excerpted below are the latest reported global visa wait times of some of the city/posts that historically have the most visa issuances. Most notably, Indian cities saw average wait times for B-1/B-2 visas reduced by up to 50% (e.g., New Delhi)*:
B-1/B-2 visas
Average wait times
Next available appointment
F, M, J visas
H, L, O, P, Q visas
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 B1/B2 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 application has been submitted and the required fee has been paid. (The fee is typically non-transferable 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.
(*The current global visa wait times were compared with global visa wait times posted by the State Department on April 25, 2025.)
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.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shared an update that Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain beneficiaries of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation are valid through Feb. 3, 2026.
Key Points:
The Department of State updated the categories of applicants that may be eligible for a nonimmigrant visa interview waiver, effective Sept. 2, 2025.
Additional Information: Applicants are encouraged to check embassy and consulate websites for detailed information about visa application requirements and procedures, as well as the operating status and services of the embassy or consulate.
Following the implementation of new immigration-related fees under the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new edition of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule on July 22 that updates filing and additional fees for various immigration-related forms.
Additional Information: According to USCIS, “certain forms require additional fees along with any filing fee. Additional fees are not eligible for fee waivers and must be paid by separate payment concurrent with any filing fee.”
USCIS also notes that “certain filers may qualify for a fee waiver for certain forms. To determine your eligibility for a fee waiver, please review Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver.”
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has terminated the designation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) with TPS benefits no longer in effect as of July 22, 2025.
An order from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit filed on July 21, 2025, denied an emergency motion to postpone the termination of Afghanistan’s TPS designation.
DHS previously announced it was terminating the designation of Afghanistan for TPS effective July 14, 2025. On July 14, the court temporarily blocked the termination, and DHS confirmed that TPS and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued under the Afghanistan designation would remain valid through July 21, 2025. The July 21 court order allowed the termination to take effect while the litigation proceeds.
The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) will permanently discontinue its fax services starting Sept. 1, 2025, as part of an ongoing digital modernization initiative to streamline document submission and communication processes. A list of the fax email addresses that will be discontinued can be found here.
Stakeholders are advised to transition to digital platforms such as FLAG or email to avoid disruptions in application processing. Submissions sent to the fax email addresses after Aug. 31, 2025, will be deemed invalid by OFLC and may result in delayed processing or denial of an application.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted an advance copy of a Federal Register Notice (FRN) implementing new immigration-related fees under the H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill, a.k.a. the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1). The FRN is scheduled to be published July 22. In a news release published July 21, USCIS announced these fees will apply to certain immigration benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025.
Additional Information: H.R.1 was signed into law on July 4, 2025. Titles IX and X include various immigration-related provisions, in addition to new fees, as well as more than $140 billion allocated to border security and enforcement measures.
USCIS recently published a new edition of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, removing fee waiver eligibility for Form I-131 for certain nonimmigrants.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received enough petitions to reach the mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa master’s cap (the U.S. advanced degree exemption) for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
Additional Information: The H-1B program is used by U.S. businesses to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. In March, USCIS received enough registrations to meet the FY 2026 H-1B cap. More information on the H-1B cap season can be found here.
Update on applications received for requested date of need from April 1, 2025 (fiscal year (FY) 2025 second half of the visa cap):
The Department of Labor reported that, as of July 12, a total of 8,893 cases were issued Final Decisions. Certified positions for this period were allocated for 120,172 workers.
Per U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance, 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas were allocated for the late second half of FY 2025 (May 15 through Sept. 30) and 5,000 visas were limited to returning workers who were issued H-2B visas or held H-2B status in FYs 2022, 2023 or 2024, regardless of country of nationality.
These late second half of FY 2025 petitions must request employment start dates from May 15, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2025.