Big news for those going to America, exemption in visa interview is almost over, now everyone will have to give interviews:

News India Live, Digital Desk: Us visa new rules: If you are preparing to go to America, then this news is very important for you. The US government has made a major change in the visa policy, under which the exemption given in the interview has almost been abolished. Now most people will have to go to the US embassy for a visa and interview it.

What is this new rule?

Earlier many people did not have to give interviews while renewing visa or in some special categories. It was called “interview wave” or “dropbox” feature. But since September 2, 2025, this facility has been very limited.

Which people will affect it?

These changes will have the most impact on these people:

• Students and professional: Those who renew Visa renews like H-1B (skilled workers), L-1 (intra-company transfer), F-1 (student), and O-1 (person with extraordinary capacity) will now have to interview. Earlier, if their visa had expired within 12 months, then they used to get discounts.
• Children and elderly: The most shocking thing is that now children below the age of 14 and older people above 79 years of age will have to go for interview, earlier these age groups were completely exempted from interview.
• Tourist and Business Travelers: B-1/B-2 (Tourism/Business) Visas have also come under the purview of this new rule.

Who will get a discount?

However, some special people may still get exemption from interview. These include mainly diplomatic and some official visa holders. Apart from this, Mexican citizens who renew B-1/B-2 visa with certain conditions can also be given this exemption but in any case, the final decision will be of the last decision of the American Consular Officer, whatever you want, he can be invited to interview.

Why was this change done?

The US government says that this change has been made to increase security measures and strengthen the integrity of the visa process. The administration believes that this will give the authorities a chance to closely investigate every matter.

What will be the effect on the common people?

This change can make the process of getting visa longer. Already, one has to wait long for appointment, and now the waiting time is expected to increase even more due to the interview being mandatory. Therefore, if you are planning to go to America, it would be prudent to apply for the visa as soon as possible.