The US Mission in South Africa is encouraging all residents of South Africa considering travel to the United States to apply for their visa as early as possible in order to secure an appointment for a visa interview in time for the planned travel.
“All visa applications at US Consulates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban are processed as efficiently as possible, and the US Mission aims to keep the wait time for appointments at a minimum. However, heavy demand for US visas has currently led to a longer than usual wait time in South Africa,” said the mission.
“We encourage all potential travelers to apply for their visas several months before the planned travel date,” they added.
The US Mission said it makes every effort to accommodate emergency travel and humanitarian situations, though not every request for an expedited appointment can be accommodated.
“For those already with valid visas, a renewal application can be submitted at any time, and we encourage these travelers not to wait until their current visa has expired to apply for a new one,” said the mission.
“If a visa is still valid or has expired within the last 12 months, the traveler may be eligible to renew by mail without an interview.”
The mission said advance travel planning and early visa application are important.
“If you plan to apply for a non-immigrant visa to go to the United States as a temporary visitor, please review the current wait time for an interview using the tool available on this Department of State website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html.”
More information on applying for a US visa is available through the Embassy website: https://za.usembassy.gov/visas/.
Questions regarding the appointment process also may be directed to 087-550-2160.
-ANA
