Individuals applying for a US non-immigrant visa (NIV) must now schedule their visa interview appointments in their country of citizenship or legal residence, according to a significant policy change announced by the US Department of State.
The rule, which took effect immediately, ends a practice long used by many travellers, particularly Indians, who sought to bypass lengthy wait times at US consulates in their home countries by applying through facilities abroad.
“Applicants must be able to demonstrate residence in the country where they are applying, if the place of application is based on their residency,” the State Department said in its latest notification, in a series of visa policy adjustments under the Trump administration.
The new rule applies to all non-immigrant visa categories, including those for tourism (B-2), business (B-1), students, and temporary workers.
Applicants who schedule interviews outside their country of nationality or residence may face greater difficulty qualifying. Application fees in such cases will neither be refunded nor transferred, the department clarified.
Appointment wait times, the notification added, vary by location. Those applying outside their home country should expect significantly longer waits.
Indians have long engaged in a practice called ‘visa shopping’ — applying for a visa from a country other than their primary or longest-stay destination, often because the process is faster or easier.
This trend became especially common during the surge in air travel after the Covid pandemic. Faced with extensive backlogs and long wait times for visa interviews, many Indian applicants travelled to countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Germany, or Brazil to secure quicker appointments.
The new rule eliminates this option.
With more applicants now required to apply from India, wait times are expected to increase further. In fact, short-term visa interview appointments in India already range from three and a half months at embassies and consulates.
All non-immigrant visa applicants, including children under 14 and seniors over 79, are now generally required to attend an in-person interview with a consular officer.
