Fresh Department of State data analysed by PlainVisa on 13 June reveal that petition-based worker-visa applicants in cities such as Hyderabad, Vancouver and Ho Chi Minh City still face appointment waits longer than a year, despite consular staffing increases. The tracker synthesises the monthly Global Visa Wait Times report, converting State’s day ranges into months for clearer comparison.
![Visa-Interview Wait Times Still Top 12 Months at Dozens of Posts, Data Show]()
For employers and travellers seeking practical ways to navigate these shifting backlogs, VisaHQ can help. Its U.S. visa resource page (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) aggregates up-to-date requirements, typical processing times and alternative consular options, providing a streamlined path to booking appointments and preparing documentation.
The longest wait—Hyderabad’s 7.5 months for F/M/J study visas—underscores why the new US$750 premium-appointment pilot is likely to find a ready market among both tourists and business travellers. Companies relocating talent to the United States should build several extra months into deployment timelines or consider “consular shopping” in third-country posts with shorter queues. Where possible, filing for stateside change-of-status rather than consular processing can also sidestep interview bottlenecks, although employees then need advance-parole documents for travel. State Department officials say they have reduced the global median wait to 30 days, but acknowledge that demand remains “extraordinary” at a subset of high-volume posts—a gap the premium pilot aims to test. Mobility teams should monitor whether the fee reduces backlogs or merely adds a parallel fast lane for those who can pay.
For employers and travellers seeking practical ways to navigate these shifting backlogs, VisaHQ can help. Its U.S. visa resource page (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) aggregates up-to-date requirements, typical processing times and alternative consular options, providing a streamlined path to booking appointments and preparing documentation.
The longest wait—Hyderabad’s 7.5 months for F/M/J study visas—underscores why the new US$750 premium-appointment pilot is likely to find a ready market among both tourists and business travellers. Companies relocating talent to the United States should build several extra months into deployment timelines or consider “consular shopping” in third-country posts with shorter queues. Where possible, filing for stateside change-of-status rather than consular processing can also sidestep interview bottlenecks, although employees then need advance-parole documents for travel. State Department officials say they have reduced the global median wait to 30 days, but acknowledge that demand remains “extraordinary” at a subset of high-volume posts—a gap the premium pilot aims to test. Mobility teams should monitor whether the fee reduces backlogs or merely adds a parallel fast lane for those who can pay.
