Starting from January 1, 2025, Indian nationals who hope to travel or work in the United States will experience a streamlined process for scheduling and rescheduling non-immigrant visa appointments. The US Embassy in India announced new regulations that aim to reduce long wait times and improve the overall visa application experience.
The move follows a series of efforts to ease visa processing, including the recent overhaul of the H-1B visa program by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under the new rules, Indian applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, including tourist and business visas (B1/B2), will have more flexibility in scheduling and rescheduling their appointments.
Applicants can now reschedule their appointments once without incurring additional fees. However, if they miss their rescheduled appointment or need to change it again, they will be required to pay the application fee again and book a new appointment. The US Embassy in India said, “This will make it easier and faster for everyone to get appointments”.
“To ensure fairness and efficiency, we encourage applicants to attend their scheduled interviews and to be mindful of the new guidelines.” Despite these improvements, the visa appointment wait times for Indian applicants remain substantial.
In a related development, the DHS introduced a new rule to modernize the H-1B visa program, which is crucial for US companies looking to hire skilled foreign workers, particularly in tech and other high-demand fields. The rule, effective January 17, 2025, is designed to speed up the approval process, provide employers with more flexibility in retaining workers, and improve the program’s oversight.
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