On February 18, 2025 The Department of State (“DOS”) announced changes to its policy previously instituted to facilitate visa processing and cut down wait times at US Consulates by offering mail in services for processing visas, foregoing in person interviews for several visa categories. The newly updated guidelines, narrow the pool of nonimmigrant visa applicants that may qualify for an interview waiver making the interview waiver and drop box options available only if the applicant previously held a visa in the same category and their prior visa either expired within the last twelve months or remains valid. Additionally, to be eligible for an interview waiver, applicants must:

apply (and be physically present in) in their country of nationality or residence;
have never been refused a visa (unless such refusal was overcome or waived); and
have no apparent or potential ineligibility.

The new guidance also includes provisions for individuals applying for visas under specific diplomatic or official government organization classifications, who may be eligible for an interview waiver. Applicants who do not meet the more specific criteria will be required to attend an in-person interview at a US Consulate to apply for their visa.

This is a shift of the previous guidelines under the Biden administration that facilitated visa processing for foreign nationals who held nonimmigrant visas in any category, unless the only prior issued visa was a B visa, and said visa had expired within the last forty-eight months. Moreover, the changes appear to be consistent with the Trump administration call for extreme vetting as announced through and Executive Order.

Under the circumstances, it is safe to say that we may see a marked increase in visa processing times in the very near future. We encourage applicants planning to renew their visas in the upcoming months to carefully review specific embassy and consular websites for updated procedures and wait times to avoid any unexpected delays.