What’s Happening?

The State Department recently announced that beginning September 2, 2025, most nonimmigrant visa applicants will no longer qualify for interview waivers at U.S. consular posts abroad. The State Department has announced that the already-narrowed program will shrink even further, effectively requiring in-person interviews for the vast majority of visa categories, including for dependent children under the age of 14.

This new policy is a continuation of the Department’s efforts to restrict interview waivers, which have served as a critical tool in managing consular workloads, avoiding extreme backlogs in appointment availability, and allowing consular staff to more efficiently direct resources to vetting high risk applicants. 

Earlier this year, in February 2025, the Department curtailed the COVID-era expansion of the program, which had allowed interview waivers for applicants whose prior visa in the same classification had expired within 48 months—and, in some cases, even for first-time applicants. The February revision restricted eligibility to those renewing a visa in the same category that was still valid or had expired within the last 12 months. The September changes will restrict the visa waiver program further.