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Malta: the O-1 / EB-1 talent-visa interview

US mission, Malta

Malta O-1 (DS-160) · EB-1 (DS-260 / I-485)

The US Embassy in Malta is a small post that Russian-speaking applicants sometimes consider as an alternative to busier European posts.

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 interview

What the community reports

From member reports: at a small post much depends on the individual officer, and an overlap between your subject and their interest in the field can noticeably ease the conversation. An anecdotal observation, not a strategy.

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: mt.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 ofB1/B2F, M, JH, L, O, P, Q
Sep 17, 2026< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo
Jun 18, 2026*< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo
May 18, 2026*< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo
Apr 15, 2026*< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo
Mar 27, 2026*< 0.5 mo< 0.5 mo< 0.5 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 moNA1 mo
Sep 17, 2025*1 moNA1 mo
Aug 18, 2025*1 moNA1 mo
May 25, 2025*1 mo1 mo1 mo
Apr 25, 2025*1 mo1 mo1 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 1,155 nonimmigrant and 0 immigrant visas.

Nonimmigrant visas issued, by month
MonthTotalB1/B2F-1J-1H-1BL-1O-1
Feb 2026393200010
Jan 2026856322001
Dec 2025675710020
Nov 2025675102230
Oct 2025736002005
Sep 202515012002020
Aug 2025452183001
Jul 20251177892231
Jun 2025896940310
May 202514911768121
Apr 202515511962221
Mar 20251199512100

No immigrant visas in the monthly reports for these months.

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).

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.
Is a small post worth choosing for speed?
A small post may offer an earlier appointment, but your choice is limited by third-country-national rules and your lawful presence. Administrative-processing times do not depend on post size.
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

  • 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.

  • What determines the strength of evidence is not the fact itself but its context: scale, selectivity and independent confirmation. This runs through almost every community case review.

Distilled from public community chats - observations, not legal advice.

From community discussions

  • «At my consulate they nitpicked at the fact that in one place we wrote My Device Inc instead of My Device, when it was about the period when the company wasn't registered yet, and they started pressing that we were thereby misleading them. So they really do look even at such small things.»

    Ksenia · from public community chats

  • «If you're planning to hire a lawyer, then first find out whether your friends in America agree to such an adventure. Because all the effort could turn out to be useless.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «The lawyer's job: advise you on the right visa type based on your credentials, request materials from you per a list, properly package it all into a sellable case and file the petition. There's also a market factor - demand has spiked sharply, and lawyers may simply ignore new clients if the case isn't interesting to them or is too complex.»

    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.