Ask the Consul
My non-immigrant visa application was not approved. How
much time should I wait before applying again?
There is no mandatory waiting period. Applicants who have
been refused a non-immigrant visa under section 214 (b) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act may schedule a new appointment and reapply immediately for a new
interview with a consular officer. This is especially valid if the applicant’s
economic circumstances have changed or they have additional information that
they did not present in their previous interview. Additionally, applicants may
believe that an interviewing officer missed important information and/or
misunderstood an applicant’s travel intentions. In such cases the applicant may
re-apply immediately for a new interview and the opportunity to speak with a
different adjudicating officer.
Although there is no required waiting period to reapply, officers will have
access to information regarding the previous refusal. If the applicant is
unable to present new information that materially changes the assessment of the
applicant’s professional, social and economic ties, the visa will be denied.
For this reason, adjudicating officers often advise applicants to wait at least
six months before reapplying to insure that adequate time has passed to allow
for a meaningful change in their situation. We recognize that the visa
application process is both costly and time consuming and recommend that
applicants take enough time to prepare their case before reapplying for a visa | 
