During the last few months, news has been circulating regarding the advancement of appointments at the American embassy in Colombia, stating that scheduling times have been reduced from 2 years to 2 months.
How true is this?
The U.S. government constantly updates average wait times for scheduling appointments. Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Colombia is working tirelessly to reduce wait times for tourist visa interviews; in fact, they have even deployed an additional team to support them.
This mission has already begun to yield results. Currently, applications from people who do not require a consular interview for the granting of their tourist visa have an estimated wait time of 23 calendar days.
Who does NOT require a consular interview?
Visa renewals that have expired in the previous 48 months, children under 13 years old and adults over 80 years old. However, not everyone in this group qualifies; the appointment scheduling system decides whether or not you should proceed with the process, just like most people in the 2-year-old group.
Why some yes and others no?
Many people have already been able to reschedule their appointment, however, others have not. This may be because, despite being on the correct team, you have obtained a new passport, your fingerprints have not been taken in the past, or you have been denied another visa recently.
Waiting times according to visa type
In the case of the most common visas, which are the B1 (for visitors arriving in the United States for business) and the B2 (for tourists), the waiting time for an interview appointment at the embassy of that country in Colombia is currently 799 days.
However, if the applicant is requesting a different type of visa, the processing times are much shorter. For students or visitors participating in an exchange program (F, M, and J visas) and for petition-based temporary workers (H, L, O, P, and Q visas), the waiting time for an appointment is only 13 calendar days.
If you are eligible to be exempt from an interview (check the website of the United States embassy), the waiting time for any type of visa is on average 23 calendar days.
It is important to remember that the estimated wait time to receive an interview appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate can change weekly and is based on the actual incoming workload and staffing levels.
The U.S. government clarifies that the above are only estimates and do not guarantee appointment availability. Interview waiver application wait times refer to the average number of days between acceptance of an interview waiver application and its adjudication by a consular officer; they do not include the time required for passport or other document processing.
Consular sections abroad can expedite your interview date if there is an urgent and unforeseen situation, such as a funeral, a medical emergency, or the start date of classes.
News written from: Portfolio, USCIS