Tips for Visitors Making a Temporary Visit Outside of the U.S.

International visitors who are currently in the U.S. and plan to make a temporary visit to their home country and re-apply for a U.S. visa during that time can make some of their return preparations before leaving the U.S.  The following suggestions of steps to take before leaving the U.S. may lessen the hardship of waiting for your visa to be processed:

• Visit the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Wait Times website to estimate the average wait times for scheduling visa interviews and processing non-immigrant visa applications at U.S. Consulates worldwide
  
  
• Visit U.S. Embassies’ consular section websites to review local procedures and find instructions on how to make an interview appointment
  
  
• Try to schedule your visa interview at the appropriate consulate and request that the interview occur as soon as possible once you arrive in your home country
  
  
• Make backup arrangements for food and housing in the unlikely event of an excessively delayed visa. Students may also wish to arrange a way to continue communicating with their U.S. academic advisers when outside of the U.S.
  
  
• Read additional information from The National Academies' International Visitors Office “Travel from the United States”