Department of State Ends Interview Waivers for Most Nonimmigrant Visas

On July 25, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) announced that it will end its interview waiver policy for most nonimmigrant visas, including E-1, E-2, E-3, F-1, H-1B, H-1B1, J-1, L-1, TN (Mexico) and O-1, effective September 2, 2025. This new policy supersedes the DOS’ prior policy that waived visa interviews for applicants who were previously issued a nonimmigrant visa in any classification and were applying for the same visa category within 12 months of their most recent visa’s expiration date. In addition, the new policy now requires in-person interviews for nonimmigrant visa applicants under the age of 14 and over the age of 79.

Under the new policy, interview waivers will only be available for applicants applying for diplomatic visas or official-type visas (including A, G, NATO and TECRO E-1), and for B-1/B-2 (business visitors and tourists) renewals so long as the B-1/B-2 applicants are applying within 12 months of the prior visa’s expiration and were at least 18 years old at the time of the prior visa issuance. Additionally, to be eligible for an interview waiver for the B-1/B-2 visa, applicants must apply in their country of nationality or residence, and they must have never been refused a visa and have no apparent or potential ineligibility.    

What This Means for Our Clients

As most applicants will now have to appear for in-person interviews starting September 2nd, we expect significant visa appointment backlogs and processing delays at US Embassies and Consulates. The DOS has not provided any information on whether the new policy will impact dropbox appointments that were scheduled prior to September 2nd, and the US Embassies and Consulates have yet to update their websites to provide further clarification on the new policy. Applicants who have scheduled dropbox appointments should check their visa application accounts and with their respective Embassy and Consulate for updated post-specific visa application requirements and procedures. Given the changes in visa procedures and the added potential for further visa processing delays, we recommend our clients who do not have a valid visa to avoid nonessential travel at this time. 

We will monitor the new visa interview waiver policy and will provide updates accordingly.