December 21, 2025
- Updated title to include six-month stays and 2025 fee/interview changes
- Added fiscal year 2025 $250 visa integrity fee and new $435 total cost ($185+$250)
- Added effective dates: September 2, 2025 interview mandate and October 1, 2025 limited renewal waivers
- Included December 2025 increased overstay scrutiny and example high-overstay country (Mauritania 9.49%)
- Expanded document and planning guidance (fee receipts, 3–6 months bank statements, last five U.S. trips)
You can still visit the 🇺🇸 United States on a B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa for short-term business or tourism, but fiscal year 2025 brought a new $250 visa integrity fee and September 2, 2025 brought stricter interview rules. If you’re planning travel in late 2025 or beyond, you need a bigger budget, more lead time, and stronger proof you will return home.
This timeline explains what changed, when it changed, and what to do if you’re applying for a B-1/B-2 now.
What the B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa covers
Before you spend time and money, confirm you’re using the right visa.
- B-1 (business): Meetings, conferences, consultations, negotiations, and settling an estate. You cannot be paid by a U.S. source for work.
- B-2 (tourism/medical): Tourism, visiting family, social events, and medical treatment.
A B-1/B-2 visa is often issued for up to 10 years, but each stay is decided at entry. Your admitted stay is typically up to six months (180 days) per entry.
⚠️ Important: A visa lets you ask to enter. A CBP officer decides your stay length when you arrive.
Timeline of the B-1/B-2 process and the 2025 rule changes
| Date / Period | Key change |
|---|---|
| Fiscal year 2025 | $250 visa integrity fee begins for most B-1/B-2 applicants. You still pay the $185 application fee. Total: $435. |
| September 2, 2025 | In-person interviews become mandatory for most applicants ages 14–79. Interview waivers are tightened and wait times increase. |
| October 1, 2025 | Limited B-1/B-2 renewal interview waivers take effect, with strict conditions. |
| December 2025 | Heightened overstay scrutiny affects review standards. Applicants from high-overstay countries face tougher questions and more refusals. |
| Your milestone | Your interview appointment date at the U.S. embassy or consulate you choose. |
Fiscal year 2025: Budget change you must plan for (fees)
Once the visa integrity fee starts, your cost planning changes immediately.
- $185: Visa application fee
- $250: Visa integrity fee (non-waivable; reimbursable only after visa expiration under strict compliance rules)
- $435 total: Fees you should expect to pay for a B-1/B-2 application
This matters most if you are applying as a family group. Multiply $435 by each applicant.
September 2, 2025: Interview rules tighten for most people
From this date forward, you should expect an interview unless you clearly qualify for a renewal waiver.
What this means for planning:
- Plan for an in-person interview in most cases if you are 14–79.
- Wait times can stretch from 7 days to over 2 years depending on location.
- Build your timeline around appointment availability, not your preferred travel date.
What the officer will focus on:
- Your exact trip purpose
- How you will pay
- Your plan to leave the United States on time
- Your home-country ties (the most important approval factor)
October 1, 2025: Limited renewal interview waivers (strict rules)
If you are renewing a B-1/B-2, a waiver is possible only when you meet all the conditions below.
You qualify only if you have:
- A full-validity prior visa
- A renewal application filed within 12 months of visa expiration
- A prior visa issued when you were age 18+
- A renewal filed in your home country
- No visa refusals or other ineligibility issues
If you miss one condition, expect an interview.
💡 Pro Tip: If you think you qualify for a waiver, still prepare as if you will be called in. Posts can require an interview even when you appear eligible.
December 2025: Overstay scrutiny increases
By late 2025, consular officers increase scrutiny for applicants seen as higher risk.
How this shows up:
- More questions about your job, salary, and time off approval
- More attention to prior travel history and compliance
- More focus on whether you have close family in the United States
- Tougher review for countries with high B-1/B-2 overstay rates, such as Mauritania (9.49%)
Your best response is strong documentation showing stability and a clear reason to return home.
The personal timeline you should follow after the 2025 changes
A practical sequence once you decide to apply:
- The day you decide to apply
- Choose the correct visa purpose (B-1 vs B-2).
- Write a one-paragraph trip plan you can repeat in the interview.
- The day you complete the DS-160 form
- Submit the DS-160 form online and save your confirmation page with the barcode.
- Use the official State Department portal: DS-160 (CEAC).
- The day you pay fees
- Pay $435 total ($185 + $250). Keep every receipt.
- The day you schedule
- Book the earliest workable interview slot. If traveling for a wedding, conference, or medical care, book the interview first and plan travel second.
- Your interview date
- Attend in person with a focused document set and clear answers. Expect a short interview, often 2–5 minutes.
- After the interview
- Your case will be approved, refused under 214(b) (nonimmigrant intent not proven), or placed in administrative processing.
- If approved, your passport is held for visa printing and returned in days to weeks.
Documents to prepare before you book
Because interview slots can appear and disappear fast, prepare your core documents early.
Essential documents:
- Valid passport: valid at least six months beyond your planned U.S. departure
- DS-160 confirmation page (barcode page)
- Fee receipts showing payment of $185 and $250
- Photo: color, taken within six months, plain background
- Proof of funds: bank statements for the last 3–6 months, plus pay stubs if available
- Home-country ties evidence: job letter, property records, family records, tax records, school enrollment
- Trip purpose proof: conference registration, invitation letter, hotel plans, event information, medical documents
- Prior U.S. travel record: your last five U.S. trips, if you have them
B-1 specific extras (if relevant):
- Employer letter describing your role and why the trip is needed
- U.S. company invitation with dates and meeting purpose
B-2 specific extras (if relevant):
- Family invitation letter and proof of the host’s U.S. status
- Medical records and an estimate of treatment costs for medical visits
Interview day: how to answer under the 2025 standards
Your goal is to show a temporary trip and a credible reason to return. Keep answers specific and time-limited.
Examples of strong responses:
- “I’m attending a conference from Oct 15–20. I return to my job the next workday.”
- “My employer approved leave from X date to Y date.”
- “I have paid tuition and must be back for classes.”
- “I’m visiting my parents for two weeks. I will return to manage my business.”
Avoid vague or risky statements:
- “I will stay as long as possible”
- Vagueness about who pays
- Inconsistent dates between your DS-160 and interview answers
After you get the visa: stay limits and extensions
A visa’s validity is not the same as your permitted stay. At entry, CBP issues your admission record and sets your last day in the United States. Overstaying leads to future visa problems, including denials.
If you need more time inside the United States:
- File Form I-539 to request an extension.
- You must file at least 45 days before your current stay expires.
Key warnings and deadlines
⚠️ Plan for the new $250 visa integrity fee and for likely in-person interviews if you’re 14–79.
⚠️ Wait times vary significantly — schedule appointments early.
⚠️ Overstaying damages future options; get extensions filed 45 days ahead if needed.
Your next move today
- Pick your intended travel month, then work backward from interview availability.
- Start by completing the DS-160 form and pricing the full $435 fee total per traveler.
- For more immigration guides written for real-life planning, you can also visit VisaVerge.com.
The 2025 B-1/B-2 visa process features significant updates, including a new $250 integrity fee and mandatory interviews for most applicants aged 14–79. Renewal waivers have become stricter, and officers have increased scrutiny on overstay risks. Applicants must budget $435 per person, provide extensive proof of financial stability and ties to their home country, and expect potentially long wait times for embassy appointments.
