Massive Visitor Visa Interview Delays Mean High Stakes for Applicants

Posted on May 22, 2023

Below is a table of the current interview wait times for B-1/B-2 applications at certain embassies and consulates around the world. Despite promises from the Department of State, the massive wait times in most countries, as you can see, have not been reduced.

City	October 7, 2022	March 24, 2023	May 19, 2023
Rio de Janeiro	347	449	449
Sao Paulo	338	554	595
Brasilia	315	469	483
Mumbai	825	332	507
New Delhi	833	247	379
Hyderabad	459	246	351
Chennai	780	680	337
Kolkata	767	357	490
Guadalajara	806	664	731
Mexico City	641	695	730
Tijuana	555	541	567
Lagos	735	486	563
Abuja	850	409	307
Madrid	380	329	335
Paris	520	50	93
London	34	89	90
Berlin	58	87	42
Prague	100	16	105

Outrage is growing among the American business community, as wait times exceed 1 year (!) for an interview at dozens of embassies and consulates around the world. The Department of State continues to move at a snail’s pace, while business, tourism, and families suffer. The massive backlog has also gotten the attention of the media, including the New York Times, and politicians, particularly in states dependent on international tourism.

In the real world what this means is that the stakes become much, much higher for each applicant to get the visa approved at the interview. Why? Because if it is refused, it may take a year or more to get another interview. The interview is short, and all it takes is one wrong answer to a consular question or inaccuracy in the DS-160 to trip a person up and get hit with a 214(b) refusal. For a young person working for a company in which travel to the US is a mandatory part of the job, a denial can be career breaking. Or if you need a nonimmigrant waiver, you need to make your best case at that hard-to-get interview — or else you will go back to the line again.

Feel free to contact us to help you prepare for an interview, prepare your DS-160, or provide other legal support for your application.

Tags: 214(b), B Visa, Consular Officers, DS-160, Nonimmigrant Waiver, US Consulate Chennai, US Consulate Hyderabad, US Consulate Lagos, US Consulate Mumbai, US Consulate Rio de Janeiro, US Embassy Brasilia, US Embassy Delhi, US Embassy Mexico City, Visa Refusal