United States | Changes to NIV interview processing and rescheduling in India

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India have centralized processing of nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview cases and made changes to the visa rescheduling process that take effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Key Points:

NIV Consolidation

• H and L first-time visa interview appointments have been centralized in Hyderabad.
• B-1 and B-2 visa interview waiver/drop box appointments have been centralized in New Delhi.
• H and L visa interview waiver/drop box appointments have been centralized in Chennai.

NIV Re-scheduling Changes

• Starting January 1, 2025, NIV applicants can schedule their first nonimmigrant visa appointment at the location of their choice.
• Reschedules will be allowed once without charge.
• Missed appointments or second reschedules will require repayment of visa fees to book a new appointment.

Additional Information: The centralized processing of nonimmigrant visa cases is intended to maximize productivity and increase efficiencies. This change is one of many measures taken to streamline visa processing and increase capacity to meet Indian demand for travel to the United States. Changes to the visa rescheduling process were made to help ensure all applicants have a fair change at getting a visa interview appointment and to reduce wait times.

Regardless of the location of the consular post for which the interview waiver appointment is scheduled, applicants can still submit their documents free of cost at any of the five Visa Application Centers in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai or New Delhi. For a fee of 850 rupees per application, applicants may submit their documents at any of the six Document Dropoff Centers located in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Cochin, Jalandhar or Pune. In some circumstances, applicants may be required to appear for an in-person interview at the post where the visa processing has been centralized.

As a reminder, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India will begin issuing visas with the new Bridge design. This is a redesign of the visa that will be used alongside the former Lincoln design. All visas with the Bridge and Lincoln design will remain valid until the printed expiration date unless they have been revoked or canceled.

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

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