US tightens visa laws: Interview waivers ends from September 2; Is India spared from hardest restrictions?

From September 2, 2025, just about all non-immigrant visa candidates will likely be required to wait in-person interviews with US consular officials. The United States state division has showed that this marks the tip of age-based exemptions and “drop field” renewals for plenty of classes of visas, affecting scholars, execs, and common vacationers.What’s convertingTill now, candidates underneath the age of 14 and over 79, in addition to many renewing H-1B (professional staff), L-1 (intra-company transferees), F-1 (scholars), O-1 (people with unusual talent), and customer visas (B-1/B-2 for industry or tourism), may qualify for interview waivers. Beginning September 2, maximum candidates in those classes will wish to seem in consumer, whether or not making use of for the primary time or renewing.Exemptions stay for diplomatic and professional visas, sure world group classes, and explicit renewals of full-validity B-1/B-2 visas and border crossing playing cards for Mexican nationals. Even in those instances, consular officials would possibly nonetheless require an interview.Stricter laws for some international locationsFor nationals of 57 international locations, together with Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, the coverage applies right away, with out exemptions. Candidates from those international locations will have to attend interviews for all non-immigrant visa classes. Diplomatic and professional visa programs will proceed thru current diplomatic channels. India isn’t integrated on this staff.Longer wait occasions most probablyThe State Division has cautioned that candidates will have to be expecting longer wait occasions for appointments. Vacationers can track appointment availability throughout the International Visa Wait Instances web site.From January 1, 2025, just one unfastened reschedule will likely be accredited for visa appointments. Lacking an appointment or rescheduling a 2d time would require cost of a brand new visa charge. Candidates will have to additionally carry the DS-160 affirmation web page used to guide the appointment. If a corrected shape is later submitted, each the unique and revised affirmation pages will have to be introduced on the interview.Why it issuesThe adjustments will immediately impact scholars starting new instructional periods, execs touring for paintings, and common guests. Candidates are urged to devise visa programs neatly prematurely to account for conceivable delays.What candidates will have to do now