U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica Says Tourist Visa Appointments Continue Unchanged

The U.S. Embassy in San José has clarified that tourist visa appointments — business and other nonimmigrant categories included — are not affected by the worldwide pause on immigrant visa processing.

Costa Ricans with U.S. tourist or business visa appointments can breathe: the U.S. Embassy in San José confirmed this week that nonimmigrant visa services continue unchanged, despite the global pause on immigrant visas.

What the Embassy Clarified

The U.S. Embassy in San José confirmed on August 27 that appointments for tourist, business and other nonimmigrant visas proceed without changes.

The statement answers days of confusion after Washington announced a worldwide pause on immigrant visa processing, which many applicants mistakenly read as covering all visa categories.

The embassy’s message, carried by Teletica, is blunt: if your appointment is for a visitor visa, nothing changes.

Immigrant vs. Nonimmigrant: The Key Distinction

The pause ordered by the U.S. State Department affects immigrant visas — the category for people moving permanently to the United States, such as family and employment-based green cards.

Nonimmigrant visas are a separate track: tourism, business trips, study and temporary work all continue under normal processing.

For Costa Rica, where the vast majority of visa demand is B1/B2 visitor visas, the practical impact of the pause is limited to a small share of cases.

New Appointments Every Tuesday

The embassy releases new B1/B2 appointment slots every Tuesday at 14:00, Costa Rica time, through its official visa information service.

The fixed weekly release is the most reliable way to find a date; slots move fast and third-party ‘slot alert’ services carry risks.

Applicants should use only the official channels linked from cr.usembassy.gov to book and pay.

A Faster Path for Urgent Travel

Since August 18, the embassy has operated a new mechanism allowing applicants with urgent travel needs to request an earlier appointment, according to La Nación.

The expedite route applies to documented emergencies and time-sensitive travel, and requires an existing appointment before the request can be filed.

Consular officers decide expedite requests case by case; buying plane tickets before holding a visa is still discouraged.

Context: Demand and Wait Times

Costa Rica is one of the region’s highest-volume posts for U.S. visitor visas, and wait times have stretched since the pandemic-era backlog.

The weekly Tuesday release and the new expedite mechanism are the embassy’s tools to work down that demand without cutting services.

The clarification also protects a major travel corridor: tens of thousands of Costa Ricans visit the United States each year for tourism, family and business.

More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

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