U.S. Embassy Manila is providing all routine visa services, though interview appointments for some visa classes remain limited in order to prioritize travelers with urgent needs and certain critical categories of visas. Due to a high volume of applicants and consular staffing shortages, wait-times for many visa classes are longer than the pre-pandemic norm.
Immigrant Visa (IV): The Embassy is processing immigrant visas across all categories. However, with significant backlogs in most categories, wait times for interviews are lengthy for all but immediate relatives (IR-1 through IR-5). It is not possible to provide precise wait times as staffing and local conditions affect capacity and scheduling. As of May 31, 2022, most IR visa cases being scheduled for interview were documentarily complete at the National Visa Center in March 2022. Most K visa cases being scheduled were documentarily complete in April 2022. Most current employment-based cases being scheduled were documentarily complete in March 2022. Most current family preference cases are approved expedite cases that were documentarily complete in January 2021.
Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV): The Embassy prioritizes travelers with urgent (i.e., matter of life or death) travel needs and certain critical categories of travelers, such as students and exchange visitors (F-1, M-1, and J-1) and temporary employees (H-1B, H-2B, and L nonimmigrants). We are processing renewals of business/tourism (B1/B2) visas for applicants eligible to have their interview waived, offering biometrics only appointments for applicants who received their last visa prior to age 14, and interviewing a limited number of B1/B2 applicants each day. While we continue to expand our visa processing, please note that we have a significant backlog of cases so wait times are much longer than pre-pandemic times.
Many visa applicants paid a visa application fee and are still waiting to schedule an interview appointment. The validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) is extended until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule an appointment the opportunity to do so.
- Appointment Scheduling: Applicants can schedule or reschedule the first available visa interview appointment slot by phone at (+632) 7792-8988 or (+632) 8548-8223, or through our online appointment system at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/. There is no fee to change an appointment. If you have difficulties rescheduling a pending appointment, you may send an email to support-philippines@ustraveldocs.com for specific guidance.
- NIV Interview Waiver: The interview waiver program has been expanded to include those renewing for biometrics/fingerprints only, applicants ages below 14 and over 79, F, M, and academic J visa applicants, and seafarer / airline crew visa reissuance.
- Expedited Appointment Requests: Expedite requests for emergency travel may be submitted via our website at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-visaapply.asp. Please note that the applicant will need to book a regular appointment through our appointment system before requesting an expedited appointment through http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-expeditedappointment.asp. Previous and/or current interview waiver applicants are not qualified to submit expedite requests.