The US State Ministry has issued a directive regarding the visa process, according to which, non -resident visa (NIV) applicants including Indians will have to schedule their interview only in their citizenship or legal residence country. This instruction of the department will be applicable with immediate effect.

The purpose of this order of the US government is to discontinue the easy methods already implemented by which people used to apply to near the nearby countries to get a visa early. According to the statement issued by the US State Department on Saturday (September 06, 2025), these new visa rules will be implemented globally.

Appointment will have to be taken in a country with citizenship

The statement said, ‘With immediate effect, the State Department has changed the rules of non-migrant visa. Now the applicant will have to take an appointment in the same country for interview, where they are citizens or where they live. The move will have a direct impact on those Indians who have applied for interviews in Singapore, Thailand and Germany to avoid domestic application in recent years.

After this decision of the US government, Indians who have to go to America early will not be able to take B1 (commercial) or B2 (Tourism) appointment abroad. Just in some extraordinary circumstances, in which the US does not usually do a visa interview, they can apply in a fixed embassy or consulate, but only when they are not living in any other country.

Number of pending applications may increase

This list includes citizens or residents of many other countries like Afghanistan, Cuba, Chad, Russia and Iran. According to industry experts, the number of pending applications before this ban may increase further. Earlier this year, the visa waiting period ranged from 3.5 months to 5 months in Hyderabad and Mumbai and it reached 9 months in Chennai.

This means that now most of the applicants have to appear in the American Embassy or Consulate, where they were previously exempted from personal interviews. The affected visa categories include H, L, F, M, J, E and O, even this rule is applicable for individuals above 79 years and children under 14 years of age.

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