Indians who have filed for interview seats in Singapore, Thailand, and Germany in recent years in order to avoid home backlogs will be directly impacted by the decision.Indians who have filed for interview seats in Singapore, Thailand, and Germany in recent years in order to avoid home backlogs will be directly impacted by the decision.
Indians who have filed for interview seats in Singapore, Thailand, and Germany in recent years in order to avoid home backlogs will be directly impacted by the decision.
The US State Department said in a statement on Saturday that the new visa regulations will be applied worldwide.
“The Department of State has revised guidelines for non-immigrant visa applicants… (they) should make appointments for visa interviews at the US embassy or consulate in their place of nationality or residence with immediate effect,” the statement read.
Who Will Be Affected?
Indians who have filed for interview seats in Singapore, Thailand, and Germany in recent years in order to avoid home backlogs will be directly impacted by the decision. As a result, Indians who have an urgent need to visit the United States will not be able to make a B1 (business) or B2 (tourist) appointment abroad.
With the exception of a few special cases where the US does not routinely carry out NIV operations, that option is no longer available under the new policy.With the exception of a few special cases where the US does not routinely carry out NIV operations, that option is no longer available under the new policy.
Unless they live elsewhere, citizens of nations where the US government does not regularly issue non-immigrant visas may apply at the appropriate embassy or consulate, the statement stated. This group comprises citizens or inhabitants of a number of nations, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Chad, Russia, and Iran.
How Will It Impact Indians
Unless they live elsewhere, citizens of nations where the US government does not regularly issue non-immigrant visas may apply at the appropriate embassy or consulate, the statement stated. This group comprises citizens or inhabitants of a number of nations, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Chad, Russia, and Iran.
The Old Rule
Tourists used to set up interviews abroad, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when a backlog of applications resulted in three-year wait times back home.
go agents recalled how Indians used to go to other countries, like Germany, for B1/B2 visa interviews when travel resumed in 2021 following the pandemic. Two years ago, the US embassy in Frankfurt set aside NIV interview times “particularly for Indian applicants” because the interview wait time for B1/B2 visas in India at the time was 15–20 months.
Following the US Department of State’s reduction of the Interview Waiver Program (Dropbox), a new rule was also implemented on September 2 that requires all non-immigrant visa applicants to have in-person interviews.
As a result, most applicants who were previously excluded from in-person interviews will now need to appear at a US Embassy or Consulate. Even for people over 79 and children under 14, the impacted visas fall within the H, L, F, M, J, E, and O categories.
