Visitors planning on traveling to the United States for a vacation or to visit family and friends often need to apply for a nonimmigrant visa. A nonimmigrant visa is for people who do not plan to stay in the United States and aren’t studying or working while they are in the country. If you are planning a trip to the States, make sure you apply for your visa as early as possible. A visa application takes some time, which varies depending on the US Embassy or consulate where you are making your application.

When you visit the website of your chosen US Embassy or consulate you will see some important information regarding how long it will take to receive an interview appointment. Check the wait time for an interview appointment then apply, or you can apply for an emergency appointment. You can apply for an emergency appointment in several emergency situations – check on the website for details of how to apply in these cases.

Once you have checked the wait time for an appointment, check the time it will take for your visa to be processed. This is an estimated time based on the average time it takes for a visa like yours to be ready for delivery or for pick up.

Remember that these times are estimates and they don’t include  any extra time that may be needed for administrative processing – some visa requests require additional time to fulfill. The extra time will vary depending on the circumstances of the case. While you are checking the timings, make sure to review carefully the process for the application and the instructions about how to make and attend an appointment. Also makes sure you have visitor insurance in place for your visit. Once your visa has been granted make the visitor insurance purchase.