The Global Visa Wait Times Tool is an official resource from the U.S. Department of State, launched on April 30, 2025, alongside an Immigrant Visa Scheduling Status tool. It shows two key metrics for nonimmigrant visa categories per embassy or consulate worldwide:
- Next Available Interview Date – When the earliest possible interview appointment is available.
- Average Wait Time – How long applicants waited from fee payment to interview in the prior month, measured in 15- or 30-day increments
This tool provides a monthly snapshot, making it a forward-looking guide — not a promise — of when appointments might be scheduled.
How It Works
- Data Updates: Reflects the previous month’s average wait time and current next available slot, updated monthly U.S. Travel Association.
- Measurement Method:
- Average wait: period between fee payment and interview, rounded to 30day or 15day increments inclusive of weekends/holidays
- Next available appointment: indicates when a new applicant could feasibly expect to secure an interview
Why It Matters
- For Applicants: Helps plan travel, educational starts, job migrations by setting realistic expectations around interview timing.
- Economic Context: Long wait times for visitor visas can hamper both international exchange and U.S. economic gains via tourism, business, and travel spending
- Actionable Insight: Embassies often release new slots irregularly; check the official scheduling portal frequently to possibly move appointments earlier
What the Tool Doesn’t Do
- No Guarantees: It’s a general guide — not a guarantee for a specific appointment date.
- Monthly Updates Only: Sudden post-specific changes won’t show automatically .
- Waiver Process Excluded: Data excludes cases eligible for interview waivers—check the specific embassy/consulate for waiver availability
Practical Tips
- Regular Checks: Because new slots may become available, applicants are encouraged to monitor the scheduling portal frequently Penn Global.
- Know the Inclusions: Only nonimmigrant visa categories are covered; immigrant visa timing is tracked separately via the IV Scheduling Status tool
- Plan Ahead: The combination of monthly average and next-available-slot data supports better planning for travel, study, or work.
Related Tool: Immigrant Visa Scheduling Status
Launched together, this tool shows when cases became “documentarily complete” (all fees paid and documents submitted). Unlike the nonimmigrant tool, it forecasts when applicants in group timelines are being scheduled for interviews
The Global Visa Wait Times Tool is a transparent, official resource for visa applicants worldwide. It offers a clearer, more predictable way to plan embassies’ nonimmigrant interview timelines—but it remains a general guideline, not a guarantee.