Getting an appointment for a visitor visa to the US remains much more difficult in many countries than it was before the pandemic.
In a report published on September 28, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent agency that examines how federal programs and agencies operate, reviews the State Department’s handling of nonimmigrant visas.
The figures are striking: the worldwide average wait time for an interview for a US visitor visa — primarily B1/B2 visas for business or tourism — was 26 days in fiscal year 2019. By 2025, that average had risen to 201 days, nearly eight times longer.
More visas processed, but appointments are still hard to get
The increase in wait times is not the result of lower consular activity.
On the contrary, the number of visitor visa applications processed by the State Department has exceeded pre-pandemic levels: 11.7 million cases were processed in 2025, compared with 9.2 million in 2019. Visitor visas accounted for the majority of US nonimmigrant visa applications.
But the situation varies considerably from one country to another.
In 2019, only two countries had an average interview wait time of more than 90 days. By 2025, that figure had risen to 39 countries. Among the longest average wait times identified by the GAO were 597 days in Colombia, 489 days in Turkey, 346 days in India, 297 days in Bangladesh and 293 days in Uganda.
These figures, however, cover fiscal year 2025 and do not necessarily reflect the appointment wait times currently being offered to applicants.
Consular staffing under pressure
According to the GAO, one of the main factors behind these disparities is the number of consular officers available compared with the volume of applications.
The number of consular officers spending most of their time processing nonimmigrant visas had nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, reaching 1,342 officers, before falling to 904 in 2025. The State Department cited hiring restrictions and staff departures among the factors affecting staffing levels.
The impact is particularly visible in countries with very high demand. In 2025, India recorded around 1.45 million nonimmigrant visa applications, with 68 officers primarily assigned to processing them, and an average interview wait time of 346 days. In Brazil, 87 officers handled about 1.14 million applications, while the average wait time was 32 days.
The GAO notes, however, that staffing is not the only factor. Backlogs accumulated since the pandemic, the physical capacity of consular facilities, screening procedures and IT systems can also affect appointment availability.
The agency recommends that the State Department conduct more regular worldwide assessments of staffing needs in order to better allocate personnel among consular posts. The State Department neither formally agreed nor disagreed with the recommendation and said it plans to continue its annual workload and staffing assessments.
Current wait times can be much shorter
For travelers, the 201-day figure should therefore not be interpreted as a standard wait time that currently applies at every US embassy or consulate.
The State Department regularly publishes and updates visa appointment wait times by embassy and consulate. In its latest update, dated September 17, 2026, the next available B1/B2 visa appointment was listed at under 15 days in Paris, compared with about six weeks in Brussels and two months in Bern. Some posts, however, continue to show waits of several months.
These wait times can change frequently as embassies and consulates open additional appointment slots.
For most travelers from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program — including the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan — this issue does not directly affect short tourism or business trips, provided they meet the program’s requirements. They can generally apply for an electronic ESTA travel authorization instead of a visa.
The issue remains particularly relevant, however, for travelers who are required to obtain a US visa or who are not eligible for ESTA.
VisasNews Take
The 201-day figure cited by the GAO is a worldwide average for fiscal year 2025, not the current wait time at every US embassy or consulate. Appointment availability varies widely between consular posts and can change quickly. Travelers applying for a visa should therefore check the latest wait times published by the State Department before starting the process.
