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London Embassy · Community Data · IR & F Visa Categories
US Visa
Timeline Tracker
Real wait times, real outcomes — contributed by members going through the same process at the US Embassy London.
165+ community members
Updated May 2026
CR1 · IR1 · F visas
IR timelines shown — F visas depend on Visa Bulletin
Key numbers right now
56d
Average wait: DQ → Interview Letter
Excludes expedited cases
62d
Average wait: Interview Letter → Interview
Excludes expedited cases
119d
Average wait: DQ → Interview (combined)
~4 months total from DQ
7d
Average: Approved interview → Passport in hand
Median is 5 days
91%
Approved at interview (of cases with outcome recorded)
21 of 23 recorded outcomes
☕ What this actually means for you
If you were documentarily qualified (DQ) recently, you're likely looking at receiving your Interview Letter around 8 weeks after your DQ date — though the trend has been running longer lately (see table below).
Once your Interview Letter arrives, your interview date is typically about 9 weeks further out. From DQ to sitting in the embassy: roughly 4 months based on current community data.
After a successful interview, most members have their passport back within a week — pick-up averages 4 days, mail averages 11 days. The vast majority of interviews result in approval at the same appointment.
The latest IL drop was 17 April 2026. Based on the pattern of drops (averaging every 21 days), the next window is estimated around 10 May – 20 May 2026.
Is the wait getting longer?
| Wait time |
All time avg |
Last 12m |
Last 6m |
Last 3m |
Prev month |
Trend |
| DQ → Interview Letter |
56d |
58d |
69d |
73d |
69d |
↑ +13d |
| IL → Interview |
62d |
62d |
61d |
59d |
59d |
→ stable |
| DQ → Interview (total) |
119d |
119d |
128d |
130d |
133d |
↑ +14d |
The DQ → IL wait has increased significantly in recent months, though the previous month figure (69d) shows some easing from the 3-month peak. If your DQ is recent, plan for the longer end of these ranges.
Interview Letter (IL) scheduling
Latest DQ that received an IL
17 Feb 2026
If your DQ is after this date, you're still waiting
Last IL drop date
17 Apr 2026
ILs are sent in batches, not individually
Estimated next IL window
10 May – 20 May 2026
Based on avg 21-day gap between drops (± 7 days)
Latest scheduled interview
29 Jun 2026
Furthest known interview date in the community
Passport return after approval
Pick Up (VFS)
4 days avg
Fastest option if you're nearby
Mail delivery
11 days avg
Median overall is ~5 days across both methods
Based on 28 members with passport return data recorded. Your visa is in your passport — the passport return date is effectively your visa-in-hand date.
Interview outcomes
Approved at interview
91%
21 cases
Not approved (221g / AP)
9%
2 cases
Denied / Visa pause
0%
0 cases
Based on 23 recorded outcomes. Sample size is small — treat as directional only.
Where is everyone in the process?
These numbers reflect submitted form responses only — not the full community. Members report at different stages and not everyone submits data for every milestone. Counts are not directly comparable across stages: a lower number at a later stage may reflect incomplete reporting rather than fewer people having reached it. Use this as a directional snapshot, not a precise cohort analysis.
I-130 Approval
avg 406d from PD
Sent to DOS / NVC
~13d after approval
NVC Fees Paid
~14d after NVC
NVC Docs Submitted
~27d after fees
DQ (Documentarily Qualified)
~21d after docs
Interview Letter received
~56d after DQ
Medical appointment
~45d after IL
Interview completed
~17d after medical
Passport in hand
~7d after interview
Passport-in-hand counts are low partly because many members haven't yet reached this stage, and partly because post-approval reporting tends to drop off. Submit your timeline to help improve the data.
Recent IL drop history
The 45-day gap in summer 2025 was an outlier. Typical gap is 15–30 days. Average across all recorded drops: 21 days.
👋 Also useful:
Track My Visa surfaces USCIS case movement early during the I-130 stage. Their I-130 Consular Discord covers the full consular pipeline across all embassies — a good complement to this London-specific tracker.