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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.
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.
As of Dec. 17, the State Department has updated its list of countries subject to visa bond requirements under the Temporary Final Rule Visa Bond Pilot Program, authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 221(g)(3), to include seven additional countries (Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan) with implementation dates of Jan. 1, 2026.
Key Points:
Additional Information: The launch of the visa bond pilot program was announced in August. The pilot will run for 12 months from Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026. More details on the bond payment process, required ports of entry, visa bond compliance and visa bond breach can be found here. During the pilot, there will not be a waiver application process.
The U.S. State Department has released the January 2026 Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based visa preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart in the January Bulletin, which shows advancement across most EB visa categories with no regressions. China’s Dates for Filing for EB-2 visas advance by over a year, and India’s Dates for Filing for EB-5 visas advance by over two years.
The Dates for Filing chart indicates who is eligible to submit their application and supporting documents for further processing, even if the green card itself is not available. Review BAL’s employer’s guide to reading the Visa Bulletin to better understand this monthly report.
Dates for Filing chart category movement:
EB-1 visa
EB-2 visa
EB-3 visa
EB-5 visa (unreserved)
Dates for Filing Chart for Employment-Based Visa Applications
Additional Information: Final Action Dates also advance across employment-based categories. EB-1 and EB-5 Final Action Dates will each advance by almost a year. Cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application for the January Visa Bulletin can be found here.
Diversity Visa Lottery 2026 (DV-2026) and 2027 updates: The January Visa Bulletin provides DV-2026 program allocated cutoff numbers per region for January and February. It reports that certain regulatory amendments will “further reduce the DV-2026 annual limit to approximately 52,000. DVs are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than 7% of the available diversity visas in any one year.”
According to the Bulletin, “Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2026 program ends as of Sept. 30, 2026.” DV-2026 entrants are encouraged to keep their confirmation number until at least Sept. 30, 2026.
Prior Bulletins have stated that “Dates for the DV-2027 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months. Those interested in entering the DV-2027 program should check the Department of State’s Diversity Visa web page in the coming months.”
For January, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2026 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows:
Egypt 16,000
and the CARIBBEAN
For February, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2026 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows:
Egypt 21,000
The Trump administration issued a Proclamation on Dec. 16, 2025, expanding and revising entry restrictions that impact nationals from 39 countries. The restrictions are effective as of 12:01 a.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2026.
Additional Information: Foreign nationals are reminded to consult with their BAL team regarding potential risks associated with international travel and to be aware of general travel requirements, including maintaining valid status in the U.S. BAL will continue to monitor developments and update accordingly. U.S. immigration policies may change quickly and without prior notice.
For the latest updates and insights regarding these policies, in-house immigration professionals are invited to join BAL Community at no cost.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it will limit the use of photographs for secure immigration documents to those taken within the past three years, effective immediately.
The Embassy of the United States in Panama announced that, effective Nov. 6, 2025, Panama City has been designated as a FIFA World Cup 2026 support post for certain Colombian nationals applying for B-1/B-2 visitor visas.
Additional Information: Visit https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-pa/niv/information/contact_us for further information about the visa application process.
The State Department made minimal changes to its Dec. 12 updates on nonimmigrant (NIV) and immigrant (IV) visa applicant interview scheduling, adding the Central African Republic to its designated processing post list.
Additional Information: The State Department previously announced that starting Nov. 1, 2025, the National Visa Center will schedule IV applicants in their country of residence or, if requested, country of nationality. The State Department also announced in September that NIV applicants “should schedule their visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence.” Nationals of countries where the U.S. does not conduct routine NIV operations must apply at designated embassies or consulates.
Today, the Department of Homeland Security published a Federal Register Notice (FRN) terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation of Ethiopia, effective Feb. 13, 2026.
Additional Information: BAL will continue to monitor related developments and provide updates.
Today, the Department of Homeland Security published a Federal Register Notice terminating “categorical” Family Reunification Parole (FRP) processes for nationals and their immediate family members from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras.
On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) added Costa Rica to its list of Global Entry partner countries.
Additional Information: Global Entry is one of CBP’s four Trusted Traveler Programs. The program also provides access to TSA PreCheck for eligible members, offering quicker security screening for domestic travelers at participating U.S. airports.
Additional Global Entry partner countries include Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Germany, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Global Entry partnerships enhance security and promote bilateral trade, tourism and cultural exchange by allowing pre-vetted, low-risk citizens expedited customs and immigration processing upon arrival to the U.S.