If you’re planning a trip to the United States that requires a visa, it’s possible you’ll wish to begin the applying course of a lot sooner than earlier than. On Saturday, September 6, the US State Department revealed a new rule requiring non-immigrant visa candidates—together with vacationers, college students, and enterprise vacationers—to finish the obligatory interviews of their nation of citizenship or authorized residence.
Previously, vacationers may e-book appointments in third international locations with sooner availability, which may assist candidates circumvent backlogs of their residence nations. The new rule shuts down that possibility.
While the replace from the State Department doesn’t specify why the rule was put into place, “the most logical conclusion to draw is that this is part of the administration’s larger efforts to restrict the issuance of US visas by making the process more time-consuming and logistically difficult,” says immigration lawyer Dana DiRaimondo.
DiRaimondo added that the brand new rule is per different measures the administration has taken this yr, akin to creating a Visa Bond Pilot Program and requiring enhanced vetting for sure visa sorts.
“The shift is really about removing shortcuts, re-establishing face-to-face checkpoints, and restricting where applicants can apply for a US visa,” immigration lawyer Meesha Moulton tells Condé Nast Traveler. “This, along with the rollback of most interview waivers just a few days earlier, signals a broader tightening of the process. During the pandemic, waivers and flexible interview rules kept the system moving. Now those shortcuts are gone, and nearly everyone must interview in person again.”
Going ahead, candidates who want a visa to enter the United States should seem for the interview of their nation of nationality or authorized residence. The Department of State has stated that appointments in third international locations nonetheless stand in the event that they have been scheduled earlier than September 6.
For vacationers in international locations like India, Brazil, and China, the place interview wait times can stretch past a yr, the change is anticipated to create longer waits and extra logistical hurdles for planning journeys to the US. Here’s what vacationers must know.
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Who does the brand new rule apply to?
The coverage applies to all non-immigrant visa functions—whether or not you’re making use of for the primary time, renewing, or altering standing—and impacts visa classes akin to tourism visas (B-1/B-2), scholar visas (F, M, and J), and short-term work visas (H and L).
The few exceptions are for diplomats, officers on UN or NATO journey, and a few humanitarian instances. It’s additionally price noting that there’s no impression on vacationers from Visa Waiver Program countries (which embody Australia, Japan, South Korea, and most of Europe).
“The biggest pain falls on first-time visa applicants from non-Visa Waiver Countries, such as India, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and China,” says immigration lawyer Juan Carlos Rivera. “Home-country queues already stretch months to 600-plus days in some markets.”
In the 17 international locations the place the US lacks consular providers, the State Department has designated alternate locations. Cuban nationals, for instance, would wish to use in Georgetown, Guyana, whereas Zimbabwean nationals would wish to go to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Potential impression on enterprise journey
For frequent vacationers, worldwide college students, and professionals engaged on tight timelines, the change may create severe challenges.