United States | State Department updates guidance on nonimmigrant visa applicant interview scheduling effective immediately

The State Department updated its guidance on Sept. 6 for all nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants scheduling visa interview appointments, effective immediately.

Key Points:

• According to the Visa Office, NIV applicants “should schedule their visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence.” Nationals of countries where the U.S. does not conduct routine NIV operations must apply at designated embassies or consulates. A list of designated locations for NIV processing can be found here.
• The guidance states that “existing nonimmigrant visa appointments will generally not be cancelled.”
• Applicants must demonstrate residence in the country if applying in a country based on residency.
• This guidance does not apply to applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO visas, diplomatic-type or official-type visas or applicants for any visa for travel covered by the United Nations Headquarters Agreement. Rare exceptions may also be made for humanitarian, medical or foreign policy reasons.
• This update supersedes previous guidance on visa application requirements, including designated visa processing posts.

Additional Information: Wait times may be significantly longer for NIV applicants when applying outside one’s country of nationality or residence. Applicants should check embassy and consulate websites for more detailed information about visa application requirements and procedures, and to learn more about the embassy or consulate’s operating status and services.

In an Aug. 28 update, the State Department said it “is now requiring” immigrant visa applicants (including Diversity Visa applicants in the DV-2026 program year) to interview in the consular district designated for their place of residence, or in their country of nationality if requested, with limited exceptions. The NVC will schedule immigrant visa applicants accordingly starting Nov. 1, 2025.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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