US B1/B2 Visa 2026: DS-160, the Interview and Section 214(b) Explained

For millions of African travellers, the B1/B2 visa is the gateway to the United States, a trade show, a wedding in Atlanta, a holiday in New York. The process is not a lottery: it is codified, documented and governed by public rules. But it demands method, a precise budget and (at several African embassies) a great deal of advance planning. Here is the full journey, with official fees verified in October 2026. Start with the next section: since 2026, a suspension and a bond requirement have applied to part of the continent.

Since January 1, 2026, Proclamation 10998 has suspended all US visas for 19 countries and the B1/B2 visa for 19 more; since August 3, 2026, a now-permanent program requires nationals of the countries listed by the State Department to post a bond of 10,000 to 20,000 USD. These lists change.

Suspension (Presidential Proclamation 10998, since January 1, 2026). Issuance of all visas is suspended for nationals of 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as for holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents. The B1/B2 visa (like student and exchange visas) is also suspended for 19 more countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Exceptions are narrow: a visa issued before January 1, 2026 remains valid, a dual national may apply on the passport of a country not covered, and certain categories (permanent residents, athletes at major sporting events, diplomats) are excluded. You can still apply and attend the interview, but the visa will in principle be refused: do not pay 185 USD unless an exception applies to you.

Bond ("visa bond"). Since August 3, 2026, a permanent program (rule published in the Federal Register) has required nationals of the countries listed by the State Department to post a bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 USD before a B1/B2 visa is issued: the amount is set at the interview and paid through Form I-352 on Pay.gov. The list includes Algeria, Tunisia, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mauritius, the Central African Republic, Senegal, Seychelles and Togo, among others. The money is returned if you comply with the terms of the visa, or if you do not travel. Cameroon, the DR Congo and Egypt are covered by neither the suspension nor the bond as of this update.

These lists change: check your nationality on travel.state.gov ("Suspension of Visa Issuance", "Countries Subject to Visa Bonds") and with our visa checker before paying.

The US B1/B2 visa combines B1, for business travel (meetings, negotiations, conferences), and B2, for tourism, family visits and medical treatment; at each entry, the border officer sets the authorised length of stay.

B1 covers business travel (meetings, negotiations, conferences); B2 covers tourism, family visits and medical treatment. In practice, consulates almost always issue a combined B1/B2 visa. Its validity depends on your nationality (the State Department reciprocity tables); at each entry, the border officer sets the authorised length of stay. Before you start, check the rules for your nationality on izivisas.com.

The US B1/B2 visa costs a 185 USD application fee (the MRV fee), non-refundable even if refused, plus any reciprocity issuance fee and, for nationalities subject to the visa bond, a bond of 10,000 to 20,000 USD.

• 185 USD: the application fee (the MRV fee) for a B1/B2 visa, non-refundable even if refused. The payment receipt remains valid for 365 days to book an appointment. Source: travel.state.gov, Fees for Visa Services.
• Issuance (reciprocity) fee: some nationalities pay an extra amount only if the visa is granted. Check your country in the reciprocity tables.
• The Visa Integrity Fee: a US budget law provides for this additional fee. Check the "Fees for Visa Services" page on travel.state.gov to see whether it is being collected when you pay, and the total amount due.
• A bond of 10,000 to 20,000 USD for nationalities subject to the visa bond (see above), returned if you comply with the terms of the visa.

Add the compliant photo, transport costs and, where applicable, travel to a consular post in a neighbouring country if your capital does not offer the service.

The DS-160 is the single application form, completed online on the State Department CEAC site (ceac.state.gov). Set aside time: the form is long.

1. Select the consular post where you will interview, then immediately note your Application ID: it lets you resume an interrupted form.
2. Answer in English, in Latin characters. Questions cover your identity, employment, income, travel history, US contacts and background.
3. The digital photo must meet the official standards (light background, less than 6 months old). A rejected photo blocks submission.
4. Consistency is everything: anything you write can be checked and will be held against you at the interview. Employer, salary, travel dates: no approximations.
5. Print the confirmation page with the barcode: it is required on interview day.

If a cybercafé or an agent fills in the form for you, re-read every answer before submitting: you are legally responsible for its content.

For a US B1/B2 visa, you pay the 185 USD and pick a slot on your country's appointment portal (ustraveldocs.com or usvisascheduling); since September 2025, nearly all applicants, including children and seniors, attend an in-person interview.

Next, create a profile on your country's appointment portal (ustraveldocs.com or usvisascheduling depending on the post), pay the 185 USD through the local payment channels, then pick a slot. Since September 2025, interview waivers have been almost entirely eliminated: nearly all applicants (including those under 14 and over 79) generally attend an in-person interview. As a rule, you apply in your country of nationality or residence. Several US embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa have suspended or moved their routine visa services (for example Kinshasa, Juba and Kampala, which paused all visa services on May 18, 2026, according to travel.state.gov): before paying, check on the website of the US embassy in your country where to apply.

Real wait times. The State Department publishes a Global Visa Wait Times tool (travel.state.gov), updated regularly. For B1/B2 visas, the wait varies widely from one consulate to another, from a few weeks to many months. In Nigeria, B1/B2 visa issuance to Nigerian nationals has been suspended since January 1, 2026. These figures move every month: check the official tool before planning. In practical terms, in several African capitals you need to start several months before your travel date, and never buy a non-refundable ticket before the visa is in your passport.

The interview is short. The consular officer already has your DS-160 on screen; they are not there to re-hear your file but to verify three things: is your purpose credible, are your means real, will you return home?

• Prepare short, factual answers to the predictable questions: why this trip, who is paying, what do you do for a living, who is waiting for you back home.
• Bring your passport, the DS-160 confirmation, the payment receipt, and your evidence of ties: employment letter or business registration, payslips, bank statements, property titles, family records. Officers rarely ask for them, but when they do, absence is unforgiving.
• Do not recite a memorised script: officers spot it instantly and it undermines your credibility.
• Never lie: a false statement or forged document triggers a permanent ineligibility under section 212(a)(6)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. No trip is worth that risk.

Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires the consular officer to presume that every US visitor visa applicant is a potential immigrant: the applicant must prove sufficient ties to their country, such as a stable job, family, property or studies.

US law (Immigration and Nationality Act, section 214(b)) requires the officer to presume that every visitor visa applicant is a potential immigrant. It is up to you to overturn that presumption by demonstrating sufficient ties to your country: a stable job or business with regular income, family at home, property, ongoing studies, a history of trips followed by returns. There is no magic document and no guarantee: the officer weighs your situation as a whole, in minutes. A generous American invitation letter never substitutes for your own ties, it is your own life that must argue for your return.

A 214(b) refusal of a US visa cannot be appealed, but it is not permanent: reapply only if your situation has genuinely changed, because each new application costs 185 USD.

• There is no appeal procedure against a 214(b) refusal. Writing to the ambassador or paying an intermediary who promises to overturn it is pointless.
• The refusal is not permanent: it reflects your situation on the day of the interview, nothing more.
• Reapply only if something has genuinely changed: a new job, higher income, marriage, a birth, a degree, new trips taken and respected. Refiling an identical application a few weeks later almost always produces the same result, and costs 185 USD each time.
• Beware of outfits selling guaranteed visas: nobody can guarantee a consular decision, and forged documents destroy your chances for good.

For a US B1/B2 visa, fake bank statements or a fake employment letter mean lifetime ineligibility if fraud is detected; inconsistencies between the DS-160 and the interview, and non-refundable flights bought before the decision, are also costly.

• Fake bank statements or a fake employment letter (lifetime ineligibility if fraud is detected).
• Inconsistencies between the DS-160 and your spoken answers.
• Long, confused answers where one sentence would do.
• A bank account inflated by a sudden deposit just before applying.
• Non-refundable flights and bookings purchased before the decision.

• travel.state.gov, Visitor Visa, Fees for Visa Services, Global Visa Wait Times, Suspension of Visa Issuance (Proclamation 10998), Countries Subject to Visa Bonds
• ceac.state.gov, DS-160 form
• ustraveldocs.com, payment and appointments by country

Fees, suspensions and bonds verified in October 2026 on travel.state.gov and in the Federal Register. They change: always confirm against the official sources before paying.