The U.S. Department of State recently announced upcoming changes to its interview waiver process, whereby certain individuals are exempt from attending an in-person interview at a U.S. Consulate and can instead apply through a Dropbox appointment. This announcement can be found here.
Here are the Top Five Things to know about this new development:
- This change goes into effect on September 2, 2025, and will impact the majority of visa applicants.
- With the exception of certain government and diplomatic visitors and individuals who meet other strict requirements, all U.S. visa applicants will need to obtain a visa through an in-person interview with a U.S. Consulate. This includes applicants under the age of 14 and over the age of 79, which is a change from the previous guidelines.
- This is a significant departure from previous Department of State policies regarding interview waivers. The most common nonimmigrant visa classifications, including H-1B, L-1, and O-1, are no longer eligible for interview waivers after September 2, 2025.
- Notably, individuals who are renewing certain B1/B2 visas or Border Crossing Cards (for Mexican nationals) 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 may still qualify for a waiver of the in-person interview requirement.
- Overall, this process will make the visa application process more restrictive. Visa applicants should take care to plan any international travel accordingly, as this change in policy will likely require more in Department of State resources leading to longer visa appointment wait times.
