Overview

• Effective immediately, nonimmigrant visa applicants must schedule interviews in their country of nationality or legal residence, with designated posts assigned where routine services are unavailable.
• The department named specific alternate locations, including Islamabad for Afghans, Astana or Warsaw for Russians, and Dubai for Iranians.
• The guidance carves out exemptions for A, G, C-2, C-3, and NATO applicants, diplomatic or official visas, and travel covered by the UN Headquarters Agreement, with rare exceptions for humanitarian, medical, or foreign policy reasons.
• Applicants filing outside their home country should expect significantly longer waits, and fees paid for such appointments are nonrefundable and nontransferable.
• Indian media report the change ends the practice of securing faster B1/B2 appointments in third countries, removing a widely used pandemic-era workaround.