Jerusalem: the O-1 / EB-1 talent-visa interview
US mission, Jerusalem
The US Embassy in Jerusalem serves applicants living in Israel, including new citizens who also hold Russian or other passports.
How the consular process works
O-1 is a nonimmigrant visa: after the I-129 petition is approved you file DS-160, pay the fee and book a consular-section interview. EB-1 is the immigrant path: after the I-140 is approved the case either goes through the NVC to an immigrant-visa interview (DS-260), or you adjust status inside the US (I-485) with no consulate at all. Some applicants file as third-country nationals (TCN) - outside their country of citizenship.
Prepare for the interviewWhat the community reports
By member reports, Russian passports and previous visas get close attention here. Keep an explanation of your visa history to hand, along with every passport including cancelled ones.
This is community-chat experience, not official data. Verify booking availability and post status on travel.state.gov and ustraveldocs.com.
This embassy's official visas page: il.usembassy.gov/visas/ - interview booking follows your own post's instructions.
Current appointment wait times for every post are in the official State Department table: Global Visa Wait Times.
Procedures that are the same at every post (CEAC statuses, the passport during the check, officers’ manner): the consulates reference.
Official State Department numbers for this post
Next available interview appointment, by table update
| Table of | B1/B2 | F, M, J | H, L, O, P, Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2026 | 5.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Jun 18, 2026* | 1 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| May 18, 2026* | 5 mo | 1 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Apr 15, 2026* | 4 mo | 2 mo | 2 mo |
| Mar 27, 2026* | 4 mo | 1 mo | 2 mo |
| Jan 14, 2026* | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Dec 12, 2025* | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Nov 20, 2025* | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Oct 22, 2025* | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Sep 17, 2025* | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo | < 0.5 mo |
| Aug 18, 2025* | 6 mo | 1 mo | 0 mo |
| May 25, 2025* | 6 mo | 1 mo | 0 mo |
| Apr 25, 2025* | 6 mo | 0 mo | 0 mo |
Source: Global Visa Wait Times (travel.state.gov), "next available appointment" as printed at each monthly update; until mid-2025 the table gave calendar days, later months. * - read from a Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) copy of the same page. We re-read the table every month; next check about Oct 20, 2026.
Mar 2025 - Feb 2026: the post issued 4,246 nonimmigrant and 2,713 immigrant visas.
| Month | Total | B1/B2 | F-1 | J-1 | H-1B | L-1 | O-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 102 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 145 | 72 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 190 | 90 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 265 | 188 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | 240 | 168 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 273 | 165 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Aug 2025 | 381 | 197 | 46 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Jul 2025 | 846 | 508 | 40 | 78 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Jun 2025 | 359 | 247 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 478 | 323 | 15 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 2025 | 484 | 376 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 483 | 393 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Month | Total | Family | EB-1 | EB-2 | EB-3 | DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 119 | 98 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 79 | 69 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 226 | 196 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | 193 | 154 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | 187 | 116 | 4 | 5 | 48 | 9 |
| Sep 2025 | 187 | 159 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| Aug 2025 | 264 | 191 | 0 | 3 | 59 | 10 |
| Jul 2025 | 308 | 239 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 17 |
| Jun 2025 | 185 | 173 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 316 | 290 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 |
| Apr 2025 | 310 | 274 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 9 |
| Mar 2025 | 339 | 326 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Columns: the main classes; "Total" includes all others (dependants, crew, diplomatic and other classes). Immigrant: Family = IR, CR and F categories, EB-1/2/3 = employment preferences (EB-3 incl. EW), DV = diversity lottery. Each month links to its State Department report (Excel). Sources: Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Statistics, Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance Statistics (travel.state.gov).
From Russian-language forum reports (forum.awd.ru), October 2025 - September 2026, 3 posts
3 stories of Russians who applied in Tel Aviv: B1/B2 - 1, F-1 - 1, type not stated - 1.
- October 2025: two applicants without Israeli residence got a technical refusal after a couple of questions and fingerprints, under the new rule to apply where you live, and were advised to go to Warsaw or Astana.
- An F-1 for a flight programme (September 2026): almost all questions were about a technical degree from a Russian university, then work and marital status; refused under 214(b), and the valid B1/B2 was not cancelled.
A retelling of individual stories from public threads of a Russian-language travel forum (read Oct 2, 2026), without usernames, names or quotes. These are individual stories, not State Department statistics and not legal advice: official wait times and rules are on travel.state.gov and above on this page.
FAQ
- Can I interview here as a third-country national?
- Many nonimmigrant visas (including O-1) can be applied for as a TCN - a third-country national - but booking and slot availability depend on the post and current policy. This is a common community scenario; always verify on ustraveldocs and travel.state.gov.
- Should I bring old passports?
- Yes, if they carry US visas or entry stamps: they are often requested to match your visa history against the form. Bring cancelled passports too.
- What is the difference between the O-1 and EB-1 interview?
- O-1 is a nonimmigrant visa: you file DS-160 and attend a consular-section interview. EB-1 is immigrant: after the I-140 is approved the case goes to the NVC, you file DS-260 and attend an immigrant-visa interview (or adjust status inside the US via I-485, without a consulate).
From community practice
Premium processing speeds up adjudication but does not raise the chance of approval - the community repeats this constantly: evidence quality decides, not speed.
An RFE is not a denial. Members note that a structured response with additional independent evidence often leads to approval.
A strong petition usually meets more than the required minimum of three criteria, with a margin on each - common advice in chats to reduce RFE risk.
Distilled from public community chats - observations, not legal advice.
From community discussions
«90 days isn't a rule, it's a recommendation, and not for you, but for the consul. O-1 is a dual-intent visa from the start, it's immediately assumed that you'll want to stay. Filing a petition for an immigrant visa already says 100% about your desire.»
community member · from public community chats
«O-1 is a talent visa, which includes the understanding that getting it requires a lot of effort. Denials are normal. I get/got rejected by people for whom I did a lot out of friendship.»
community member · from public community chats
«I went to an agency, asked them to help write an article - they made such nonsense. If you publish something like that and the officer reads it, they'll understand that such articles have little to do with the applicant's expert field.»
community member · from public community chats
Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.
Other interview posts
Reference information, not legal advice. Always verify post status, booking and requirements on travel.state.gov.