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How to Book a US Visa Appointment: What is the Visa Interview Wait Time?

  • August 22, 2023
  • Robert

After you have submitted a USA visa from Dubai application, you are required to
book the visa interview or appointment.

Attending the appointment is mandatory for anyone applying for a nonimmigrant
visa, such as a USA tourist visa.

When applying for a nonimmigrant visa to the United States, you should first
know that the US government treats every applicant as a possible immigrant and
conducts an interview with them accordingly.

The applicant must show that they intend to return to their native country and
convince the consular officer of this. If you do not wish to remain in the country
for longer than the length of your guest visa, you must demonstrate this to the
consular officer.

In this article, we will look at how to schedule a USA appointment and how long
you should wait to attend the interview.

Booking US Visa Appointment

The following are the steps to schedule an appointment for a US visa.

Application for the US visa

The first step in scheduling a meeting for a US visa is to fill out the Online Non immigrant Visa Application or DS-160.

Next, you’ll need to finish filling out your online form and the important steps, like
uploading the needed information about your trip plans and paying the fees for
the visa application.

Waiting for the US visa to be processed

The United States Embassy Visa Application Centre (VAC) will start to process your
visa application form. Visas can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to
process, depending on the type of visa, the country to which entry is being
requested, and the reason for the visa.

Attend the US visa appointment.

When the VAC has finished processing your visa application, they will contact you
to schedule an appointment for your visa interview or biometrics. You may need
to schedule two separate meetings to get your biometrics taken and have an
interview for your visa.

The country and the visa category will determine this, and the VAC will provide
the appropriate guidance. If you can get your biometrics taken care of on the
same day as your visa appointment, you will not be required to schedule two
separate sessions.

You can schedule the appointment by calling or writing to the US Embassy or VAC
in the country in which you are located. You can also schedule an appointment
online by visiting the Official US Department of State Visa Appointment Service.
This will allow you to schedule an appointment at your convenience.

The application process for immigrant visas can be more time-consuming and
includes various stages than other types of visas. The National Visa Centre (NVC)
will determine when the visa interview will occur.

The National Visa Centre will set up a time for you to have your fingerprints taken
and your visa screened. It is of the utmost importance that you check this
criterion with the country where you are applying, as it changes from country to
country.

The US Visa Interview Wait Time

The US Embassies and Consulates receive hundreds of thousands, if not millions,
of visa requests yearly. Because of this, the US Embassy and Consulates
worldwide list the expected wait times on their official websites. Even if the
estimated times are right, there is no promise that an appointment will be open
within the time limit.

How quickly visas are given out depends on how many applications are sent in
and how many people are available to handle those applications.

But if you want to get your visa as soon as possible, you should make a date for
the interview as soon as possible. You can ensure you get the date and time you
want by making your appointment for a US visa as soon as possible.

One more thing to remember is that the website might say that visas take three
days to process. This could change, though, depending on the type of visa being
applied for, the visa in question, and the situations surrounding the application.
It is suggested that people who want nonimmigrant visas make their trip plans
three months before they want to leave.

You should also remember that the time it takes to process a visa application
does not include the time it takes to receive the passports and papers or the time
it takes for transportation services to send them back.

Most of the time, applicants are told to wait at least 180 days after their interview
date or when they send in any extra papers unless there is an emergency.

Current US visa wait times around the world 

● Kuwait: 1 day

● Hong Kong: 2 days

● Singapore: 4 days

● Phnom Penh, Cambodia: 7 days

● Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand: 14 days

● Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 23 days

● Doha, Qatar: 30 days

● Frankfurt, Germany: 50 days

● Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 53 days

● Melbourne, Australia: 63 days

● London, UK: 78 days

● Abu Dhabi: 492 days

● Dubai: 498 days

● Kathmandu, Nepal: 556 days

Most of the time, you must first send in your biometric information and photos.
Your visa hearing will then be set for a day or two later. You will need at least
three days to finish all the necessary paperwork at the foreign destination.
Note: These wait times for global visas can change depending on how busy the
office is and how many people work there. Even though these wait times are for
people who live in these countries, the times for people who don’t live there are
the same.

Photo by Global Residence Index on Unsplash

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  • US visa interview times
Robert

Robert has worked in travel for over 35 years, running tour operators in Pakistan, Italy & the UK, writing guide books and articles and running a conservation charity that fights species extinction and habitat loss worldwide. He's trekked coast to coast across Borneo, climbed to 6,500 metres in the Himalayas, travelled the the length of the Silk Road and been chased out of a bar in Lesotho by a Warthog.

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