2024-02-17 03:35:55
Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360
Photo: Cuba Noticias 360
By 2024, one of the projections of the US Department of State (DOS) is to reduce waiting times for obtaining consular appointments at US embassies and consulates around the world, as some exceed 800 days in several diplomatic headquarters of Latin America.
For example, to obtain a B1/B2 Visa, the cities in America with the longest delay are: Tijuana, Mexico: 801 days; Tegucigalpa, Honduras: 801 days; Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: 825 days; Guadalajara, Mexico: 825 days; Mexico City: 847 days and the case of Calgary, Canada: 859 days, as the longest wait.
Among the cities with the shortest waits are: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 145 days; Asunción, Paraguay: 248 days; Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.: 260 days; Guayaquil, Ecuador: 316 days and Panama City: 350 days.
The idea is to reduce the wait to less than 90 days, which would be an important change for applicants for tourist visas, business (B1/B2), international students and other non-immigrant visitors.
A DOS report itself found that visa processing capacity has recovered faster than anticipated. In fiscal year 2023, for example, more nonimmigrant visas were issued than in any other year.
In fact, the 230 U.S. embassies and consulates set a record of more than 10.4 million nonimmigrant visas, which is attributed to things like the ability to renew visas without an in-person interview within 48 months of expiration. of the previous visa, indicate the DOS.
In the case of Cubans, although the Democratic administration of Joe Biden authorized them to apply for tourist visas to the US with multiple entries for five years several months ago, the limitation of services at the US embassy in Havana restricts their ability to obtain it, since they must travel to a third country.
In general, the DOS recommends visiting the Global Visa Wait Times website, with updated information on wait times for interviews at the different US consulates and embassies around the world.