Effective 2 September, the US Department of State will significantly scale back its visa interview waiver policy for non-immigrant visas in several categories including H-1B, of which Indians are top beneficiaries and the B1 temporary business visitor.
Applicants will need to schedule in-person interviews for most visa applications, which will increase demand for appointment slots at US consulates resulting in longer wait times.
The waiver programme was known as a “Dropbox” facility because it allowed applicants to submit their documents at a designated location and skip the in-person interview with consular officers.
The US Embassy in India had earlier announced that interview waiver appointments for visitor visas in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai were now limited, and these were being consolidated in Delhi.
Certain exceptions remain and these include applicants renewing a valid B-1, B1/B2 visa within 12 months of the prior visa’s expiration, and who were at least 18 years old at the time of the prior visa’s issuance.
To be eligible for the exemption, applicants need to apply in their country of nationality or residence, have never been refused a visa and have no other apparent or potential ineligibility.
The move comes against the backdrop of US government plans to end the H-1B visa lottery in favour of using salary as a deciding factor for granting approvals with those being highly paid having an advantage.
