Mandatory Interviews Back In Play: What The New US Visa Rules Mean For You

If you’re an H-1B professional or an F-1 student hoping for a quick visa renewal this fall, brace yourself! Starting September 2, 2025, the United States is rolling back its relaxed interview rules. The Department of State has announced that most non-immigrant applicants will now have to show up for face-to-face interviews, shutting down the widely used Dropbox waiver system for nearly everyone except a sliver of business and tourist travellers.

US Visa New Rules: In-Person Interviews Mandatory

According to Times Now, for years, many visa holders enjoyed the convenience of skipping the in-person step. If your visa had expired within the past year, you could often mail in your documents and renew without ever stepping into a consulate; however, that shortcut is gone now. 

From September, H-1B tech workers and F-1 students, the two categories with the heaviest Indian demand, lose Dropbox eligibility, even if their last visa only just lapsed. They’ll need to book interview slots like first-timers.

The shake-up doesn’t spare minors or seniors either. Applicants under 14 and over 79, who previously bypassed interviews almost by default, will now need to attend unless they appear on a narrow exemption list.

Only a slim band of B1/B2 visa holders, those travelling for business or tourism, will continue to qualify for interview waivers. Everyone else, whether renewing a work, study, or dependent visa, is back in line for in-person appointments. That means consulates in countries like India, already struggling with demand, should expect heavy traffic and long wait times.

Also Read: India Ranks 2nd In Tourist Arrivals In United States In May 2023, Clocks An Impressive Tourist Count

Why The Policy Shift And Who Is Affected

Washington frames this as a tightening of security and consistency. Officials want a larger share of applicants to undergo live screening, rather than relying on paperwork alone. It’s also a signal that the pandemic-era flexibility, introduced to manage massive backlogs when consulates shut down, is winding down.

For applicants, the practical effects are obvious: extra travel, higher costs, and the risk of delays. A student headed to a U.S. university this fall might now need to juggle interview slots with admission deadlines, while an H-1B employee on a work trip could face scheduling headaches just to get paperwork renewed, as stated by Times Now.

If you’re applying after September 2, don’t bank on shortcuts. Book appointments early, expect consulates to be packed, and keep backup timelines in mind. Missing an interview slot could mean weeks, sometimes months, of delay.

Also Read: India Ranks 30th On The Best Countries List, Switzerland Tops While United States Slips To 5th

This reflects more than just a procedural tweak. It’s one of the biggest resets in U.S. visa processing in years, and it puts the in-person interview squarely back at the centre of the system.

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