r/USVisas

‘the Department of State partially suspended visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions...’, per US Department of State.

Has anyone from the countries listed been approved a visa mentioned above since January 1, 2026? If yes, please indicate country and circumstance leading to approval.

Thanks!

I'm currently waiting on a J-1 visa after my interview in Ankara on August 6. At the interview, I was told that my application seemed good and VO approved it. My social media accounts are public as requested.

CEAC has shown refused since the interview, and the "Case Last Updated" date still shows as my interview date. I haven't received any requests for additional documents or any other updates.

I'm curious about people who interviewed recently (late July/August 2026), particularly for J-1 or F-1 visas requiring social media vetting:

• What was your interview date and consulate?
• Did your "Case Last Updated" date change while you were waiting?
• Has the vetting already started or do you think the embassy is just backlogged as "Case Last Updated" shows as the same date as the interview date?
• Did the status move from Refused-Administrative Processing-Approved-Issued OR Refused-Approved-Issued?
• If you've already been approved, approximately how many business days did the whole process take?

Thank you!

​

Hi everyone,

I had my B1/B2 interview at the U.S. Embassy in London. The officer told me my visa was approved and kept my passport.

A few days later, CEAC showed "Refused", and the embassy requested some additional documents, including my birth certificate and previous passport copies. I submitted everything they requested.

There is a historical DOB discrepancy: my current passport and birth certificate show one DOB, while an older passport shows a different DOB. The embassy has specifically asked for multiple previous passport copies.

It's now been over a month since I submitted the final documents, and my passport is still with the embassy. I haven't received any further updates.

For anyone who has experienced something similar:

How long did your administrative processing take after submitting the requested documents, and how did you know when your passport was ready?

I like many others are experiencing extended wait times with my application stuck in 221(g) administration processing.

I had my interview at Melbourne embassy on 8 Dec 2025. I was handed a green slip. I provided all my documents finally on 8 January 2026. The CEAC last updated status was on 13 February 2026. I’ve since sent 3 follow ups with no response except for the first one in which they said they don’t need anything further from me and it is processing.

The reason for my delay I’m sure it’s because of my DUI from Feb 2015.

Is anyone or has anyone been in a similar situation and can share your experience? It’s been 7 months and I’m just dying to get back to normal life. Can anyone offer any advice on if I can possibly speed things up?

Thanks

I recently got my b1 visa approved but it's annotated date of approval 13 August and of expiry 11 nov 2026. It's single entry 3 months visa. But my stay would be 20 days longer than 11 November. How to address this. I have to book my return ticket now, what date should i select for my departure from US while booking ticket.

I have a big doubt regarding my eligibility for a visa, I lived in the usa as an immigrant for 13 years I was a minor, I entered when I was 2 years old and exited voluntarily not deported when I was 15, I am now 20 and have a sponsor for an h2b visa what can I expect in the consulate interview, I did not lie in my ds160 just to be clear.

Hi,
I am a newly naturalized British citizen and literally got my first passport today. Is it okay if I apply for ESTA right the way or is there a wait period that I should wait?

Anyone had a similar experience?

I requested it 2 years ago because the company I worked for did yearly training in campus and they wanted me there. Because the system was so saturated my appointment ended up being a whole two years later.

In the interim, my company got sold to another company so the main reason is no longer valid but I would still like to have it just in case. Or to occasionally vacation (I’d love to visit LA).

How can I manage this in the interview?

I`m a sri lankan in 20s, and I am a permanent resident in Japan. I grew up in Japan.
I applied for B2 visa and I got rejected.
Im actually in the process of naturalizing in Japan.

When I get the Japanese passport, am I eligible for ESTA?

I know it can be difficult but anyone had similar experiences??

Hi everyone. I’ve been preparing my own O-1A petition (Extraordinary Ability in Business/Real Estate) for almost a year now because I can't afford $7000+ lawyer fees. I’d love to get advice from people who have been through this or know the process now that i believe my file is ready.

Here is a quick summary of my profile:

• Field: Institutional property & facilities management, real estate investment advisory (12+ years of experience).
• Nationality: From an African country (currently in Canada on a visitor visa). My home country has some partial US visa restrictions.
• Petitioner: My own newly formed US LLC. It is 100% owned by my home-country company, where I am the Founder, Managing Director, and 70% owner with a board of directors and other shareholders.
• Advisory Opinion: Secured a positive letter from a major US real estate management institute.

Criteria Claimed (5 of 8):

1. Critical/Essential Capacity: Managing Director of my own firm, securing and managing high-value portfolios for major government entities (a statutory social security fund, a government housing authority, a national central bank, agency for international Dubai developers, consultancy for US firms in my home country, plus hundreds of consultancies for local firms and individuals).
2. Original Contributions: Created and copyrighted a national real estate TV show; organized a major real estate expo at my country's national parliament.
3. Judging: Peer reviewer for a major international green building conference (20 papers) and one continental real estate academic society.
4. Scholarly Articles: I have 2 academic working papers published on SSRN (one accepted for a peer reviewed conference), 1 self-published book (via Amazon KDP), and 1 expert article published under my byline in a major national daily newspaper.
5. Published Material: Featured in my specialized university’s newsletter and two national daily newspapers.

(Considering adding a 6th) High Remuneration: I am the 70% majority shareholder of my home-country company. My compensation is high overall but fluctuates wildly with business revenue, rather than a fixed monthly salary.

My "Totality of the Evidence" Argument: To prove I am at the very top of my field, my petition argues that I am a self-made founder who built an institutional real estate firm from scratch right out of university. By age 29, I was winning open public tenders against established international firms in new markets where I had no connections. Furthermore, cautious government bodies didn't just hire me once; they successfully renewed my mandates for over 5 years and expanded my portfolio, proving sustained acclaim and trust at the highest institutional levels.

Here are my questions for the community:

1. Evaluating My Profile & Evidence:

• Do I realistically qualify with these criteria? Are they strong enough to pass USCIS scrutiny?
• Scholarly Articles: Do SSRN working papers and self-published KDP books actually carry weight for this criterion, or will USCIS reject them because they lack traditional peer review and traditional publishing houses? Should i secure a traditional publishing house rights before filing?
• High Salary: Should I claim the high salary criterion if my pay is based on fluctuating owner distributions/dividends rather than a fixed salary?
• For the criteria that I fit, what is the minimum amount of evidence (or number of documents) that is considered "enough" to satisfy an officer?

2. Filing Pro Se & Lawyer Review:

• What are the actual risks of filing completely on my own without a lawyer?
• Are there immigration lawyers who offer a service to just review, fix, and file a ready-made petition for a lower fee?

3. Processing & Consular Questions:

• I have heard rumors here that USCIS does not honor premium processing for citizens of partially banned/restricted countries. Can anyone confirm if this is true?
• How long does standard processing take right now if I don't pay for premium?
• I am currently in Canada on visitor status. If approved, can I do my consulate interview here in Canada, or will I be forced to return to my home country for the visa stamp?

4. Corporate Structure & Finances:

• I am using my own US LLC (a subsidiary of my home company) to petition for me. Should I keep it this way, or is it safer to use an agent? Which is better to avoid the "self-petition" ban?
• Do I need to fully fund the US company's bank account before filing? How much is a minimal amount required?
• I am proposing a base salary of $65,000 for myself in the US. Will this look too low for an "extraordinary ability" executive and hurt my overall case? Any company documents required to prove that my company will be able to pay me throughout?

5. Contracts & Itinerary:

• Due to the nature of my work, US companies are technically my competitors, making it incredibly hard to get letters of engagement from them before I arrive. How do O-1 founders easily get engagement letters or contracts when starting out in the US? I have got few emails from US people interested with my work while i get to the US but neither contracts nor official letters of engagements yet.
• Is it okay to just submit a detailed business plan/itinerary showing what I will be doing, without providing USCIS with signed letters of engagement or client contracts?

Any brutal honesty, tips, or guidance would be hugely appreciated!

I recently applied for a U.S. B1/B2 visa in Kolkata, India, and was refused under INA 214(b). I’m trying to understand what may have concerned the officer and what I should improve if I ever reapply.

My situation:
I work as a Team Lead/Tax Analyst for an India-based company.
My Indian company provides services to a U.S.-based company.
I was selected as one of the India team leads to travel to the U.S. for approximately one week for leadership training, a business meeting and a conference/program with the U.S. team.
The U.S. company was covering the travel expenses.
I have been working with the company for several years and have a full-time job and responsibilities in India.
I had an invitation letter from the U.S. company explaining the purpose of the visit and the relationship between the companies.
I was planning to return to India immediately after the program.
The interview was very short. This is essentially how it went:
Officer: Passport, please.
Then:
Officer: What is the purpose of your visit?
Me: I’ll be travelling to Chicago, Illinois for one week for leadership training, a conference and business meetings with our U.S. team.
He then asked:
Officer: What company do you work for?
I explained that my legal employer is an Indian company and that we provide services to a U.S.-based company.
He asked for my invitation letter.
He then asked something along the lines of:
Officer: What is the relationship between the U.S. company and you?
I explained that they are our client.
He then asked about the size of the U.S. company. I said it was a relatively small company of around 100 employees.
He asked about my salary, and I gave my actual salary.
During this, he also asked me to provide my fingerprints.
He then asked:
Officer: Do you have any threat in India if you return?
I said no.
Then he asked:
Officer: Do you think you have any threats in the U.S.?
I said no.
That was essentially the entire interview. He then handed me a 214(b) refusal letter.
I was dressed formally and answered everything truthfully.
I’m trying to understand what might have concerned him. My biggest concern is whether the employer/client relationship may have made my employment situation look complicated, even though everything was accurately explained and stated in the invitation letter.
Questions:
Based on this interview, what do you think may have led to the 214(b) refusal?
Does the India employer → U.S. client relationship sound like a potential concern?
Was I giving too much information or perhaps answering the questions in a way that created confusion?
What would you change about my answers if I were to interview again?
Most importantly, what would constitute a meaningful change before reapplying rather than simply submitting the same application again?
Is there any particular documentation I should have ready next time, especially regarding my employment relationship and the purpose of the business trip?
I’m not looking for someone to guarantee approval — I’m just trying to understand what I may have done poorly and how I can present my case more clearly next time.
Also, if anyone has been refused under 214(b) and subsequently approved for a B1/B1-B2, I’d really appreciate hearing what changed between the two applications and how long you waited before reapplying.
Thanks!

Hi everyone! My grandma is applying for a B2 tourist visa in Guatemala, and I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through something similar.
She’s in her late 70s and lives in Guatemala. She’s a homemaker. Her husband is retired and receives a pension. They own their home and also have rental properties in Guatemala.
She has four sons who live in Guatemala. Her daughter (my mom) lives in the U.S. and is a green card holder. She also has a brother and sister who are U.S. citizens. I’m her grandson and a U.S. citizen.
The plan is for her to visit the U.S. for about two weeks, spend time with family, and celebrate New Year’s with us before returning to Guatemala. She would stay with me. I’m also planning to travel to Guatemala to pick her up and accompany her to the U.S.
I’m paying for the trip as a gift to her, including her airfare, travel medical insurance, transportation, and expenses while she’s here. I also paid for the DS-160 fee and helped her complete the DS-160.
For supporting documents, we’re planning to have:
My recent pay stubs
My employment verification
A copy of my U.S. passport
A letter of invitation from me
A quote for temporary U.S. travel medical insurance
A copy of my mom’s green card
My grandma’s property documents in Guatemala
My grandpa’s pension documentation
Her other relevant documents showing her ties to Guatemala
She also had a U.S. visa refusal way back in late 2002, which we disclosed on her current DS-160.
We’re mainly wondering what questions she should expect and whether there’s anything else we should be prepared for or bring to the interview.
Any advice or experiences with similar cases, especially from Guatemala, would be greatly appreciated!

Hello guys, I am 26M working as an Associate Consultant at a Mid size company in Mumbai since last 2 years, before that worked for an MNC for 1.5 years so a total work ex of 3.5 years. I have filed ITR for last 3 years since i was employed. Some more information about me

Travel History : Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Italy, Japan, Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia (total 9 countries till date)

Salary : 9 LPA

Purpose of visit to US: For Christmas and meeting a friend who stays in Detroit, will visit Niagara Falls and do some sightseeing in Chicago, max 2 week visit.

I have completed my bio metrics last week @Chennai VAC and it went smoothly.

Requesting the community to review my profile and give me advice about preparation for the Interview.
Thank you in advance :)

I’m a Canadian citizen from engaged to a U.S. citizen. We’re trying to figure out the safest way for me to spend significant time with him, potentially get married soon, and eventually live in the U.S. I don’t want to accidentally violate visitor rules or create an immigration problem. But I would like to go to the us to visit him for long periods of time (ie. 6 months) I need advice comparing going ahead and doing longer visits on visitor status and not working, doing the K-1 fiancé visa, getting married and doing the CR-1 process or try to find a job that will sponsor me what is the fastest route to being together. I have just requested to take a 1 year leave from my job and want to figure out a way I can spend a lot of it with my fiancée but everything is so confusing is there resources out there at aren’t super expensive that can help me with this and can anyone offer any advice.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for experiences or insight from anyone who has dealt with an H-1B denial involving recapture, a pending B-2 change of status, and the six-year H-1B maximum.
Here is my situation:
I am currently in the U.S. in H-1B status.
My existing H-1B I-797 was approved in September 2024 and is valid through August 28, 2026.
My I-94 also currently shows August 28, 2026.
My employer filed another H-1B extension in April 2026, requesting additional recapture time and a one-year AC21 extension.
USCIS issued an RFE questioning 116 days from December 30, 2020 through April 26, 2021.
During those 116 days, I was physically present in the U.S. with a B-2 I-539 pending after my prior H-1B employment/status ended. The B-2 application was eventually withdrawn, so USCIS stated in the RFE that I never actually obtained B-2 status.
Interestingly, when my current H-1B was approved in 2024, USCIS apparently accepted the calculation that resulted in my current August 28, 2026 expiration date.
In the new RFE, however, USCIS stated that according to its calculation, my six-year H-1B limit was approximately August 5, 2026.
USCIS denied the new extension in August 2026. I am still waiting for the actual denial notice explaining the basis.
My PERM was filed November 3, 2025, so it had not been pending for 365 days at the time this extension was filed. I understand why the requested AC21 extension may therefore have been denied. My bigger concern is what USCIS does with my existing H-1B approval through August 28.
My questions are:
Can USCIS state in the denial notice that my actual six-year maximum was August 5, even though I already have a previously approved I-797/I-94 valid through August 28?
Would denying the new extension automatically invalidate or shorten the validity period of my existing approved H-1B petition, or would USCIS need to separately revoke/reopen that approval?
Assuming the existing August 28 approval remains valid, can my employer file a new H-1B extension before August 28, using only the undisputed remaining H-1B time and excluding the disputed 116 days?
If that second petition is timely filed in regular processing, could I continue working under the 240-day rule while it is pending?
My PERM is expected to be decided soon. If PERM and then an I-140 are approved while petition #2 is pending, could the employer subsequently file another H-1B petition based on the approved I-140?
Has anyone personally had USCIS approve an H-1B through a particular date, then later determine during a subsequent extension that the earlier max-out calculation was wrong? If so, did USCIS actually change/revoke the previous approval, or did it simply deny the new extension?
I’m working with immigration counsel and will obviously follow their advice once we receive the denial notice. I’m mainly trying to find real-world examples of how USCIS handles an already-approved I-797 when it later disputes the underlying recapture calculation.
Thanks in advance, especially if anyone has dealt with a similar H-1B max-out/recapture situation.

Hi everyone, I am a Nigerian citizen and a permanent resident of Canada.

My country is among the banned countries.
I have my visitor visa interview coming up at the end of August.
The round-trip flight to the consulate will cost about $800.

Since the program is currently paused, I’m wondering if it’s still worth attending the interview, or if I should just wait until I become a Canadian citizen in 2028 and then visit the USA.

I would really appreciate your advice.

I have filled D160 for myself and family and paid the requisite visa fee.

Stuck at getting an appointment.

Please share tips and tricks to know when a slot opens and book an appointment.

This seems too random and mismanaged.

TIA.

how does it work with queues at airport if i enter the US on tourist visa and my baby enters US on ESTA? i am not eligiable to apply for ESTA because of dual citizenships, my baby is only citizen of an ESTA country. I am flying with the father and our toddler as well. Will i and baby have to stand in different queues? She is exclusively breastfeeding so i dont know how to work it out, i wold rather she stays with me in the same queue in case customs take me in for further questioning.