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 may lessen the hardship of waiting for your visa to be processed.

Steps to Take Before You Leave the U.S.

Visit the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Wait Times website
Estimate the average wait for scheduling visa interviews and processing non-immigrant visa applications at U.S. Consulates worldwide.
  Visa Wait Times

Review local visa procedures and find instructions on how to make an interview appointment
  U.S. Embassies’ consular section websites

Schedule your interview
Request that your interview occur as soon as possible once you arrive in your home country.

Make plans for food and housing in the unlikely event of an excessively delayed visa.  Students should also arrange for a way to communicate with their advisers when outside of the U.S.

Read the advice from The National Academies' International Visitors Office
  Travel from the United States