US tightens walk-in visa policy: Indians must schedule interviews only in home country

The US Department of State announced immediate changes to its non-immigrant visa (NIV) policy, mandating that applicants—including Indians—must now schedule their visa interviews only at US embassies or consulates in their country of citizenship or legal residence.

This eliminates the previously used workaround of applying from third countries with shorter wait times.

For Indian applicants, this change affects categories such as B-1/B-2 (business/visitor), F-1 (student), H-1B, O-1, and J visas—all of which must now be processed domestically.

The previously available option of applying via countries like Singapore, Thailand, or Germany has been rescinded, except in cases where there are no US visa operations in the applicant’s country of residence.

In addition, effective Sep 2 the US has removed the "Dropbox" interview waiver program for major visa categories. Applicants for renewals of H, L, F, M, J, and O-1 visas will now require in-person interviews, regardless of age or prior visa status, with limited exemptions only for specific diplomatic or specialized visa categories.

Overall, these policy shifts are likely to result in longer wait times and increased administrative hurdles for Indian visa applicants.

Analysts warn this may particularly impact students, business travelers, and professionals who previously relied on third-country submissions to expedite processing and avoid long delays in India.