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The US has made a major change in the Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) rules. Now all applicants will have to give visa interviews in their country of citizenship or legal place of residence. This means that Indian citizens will no longer be able to go to countries like Thailand, Singapore or Germany to give interviews for B1 (business) or B2 (tourist) visas for quick travel.
Relief was received during Covid-19
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the wait for visa interviews in India was very long. Sometimes up to three years. At that time, a large number of Indian applicants used to go abroad to give interviews. According to travel agents, people went to Bangkok, Singapore, Frankfurt, even Brazil and Chiang Mai in Thailand. They used to return to India after giving interviews and getting their passports back.
Who will be affected by the new rule?
This change will apply to tourists, business, students, temporary workers and those who take visas to marry US citizens.
Current visa interview wait times in India
According to the US State Department website, the wait times for NIV interviews in India are:
Hyderabad and Mumbai: 3.5 months
Delhi: 4.5 months
Kolkata: 5 months
Chennai: 9 months
Trump administration’s tough stance
Visas have been increasingly tightened under Donald Trump’s second term. Starting September 2, a new rule came into effect that now all NIV applicants, regardless of age (including those under 14 and over 79), will generally have to undergo a direct consular interview.
Who will be exempted?
Some exceptions still exist. Those whose previously issued B1, B2 or B1/B2 visas expired within the last 12 months and who were 18 years of age or older at the time may be exempt from the interview in some cases.
