Overview

• Effective immediately, the State Department instructs nonimmigrant visa applicants to schedule interviews in their country of nationality or legal residence, with exceptions for diplomatic/official categories and rare emergencies.
• For nationals of countries without routine U.S. visa services, applications must be made at designated posts such as Astana or Warsaw for Russians, Islamabad for Afghans, and Dubai for Iranians.
• Applicants who try to interview outside their home or residence should expect tougher qualification, significantly longer waits, and forfeited fees; existing appointments will generally not be cancelled.
• The policy ends pandemic-era third-country “visa runs” widely used by Indians, where current B1/B2 interview waits range from about 3.5 months in Mumbai and Hyderabad to nine months in Chennai.
• The shift follows a Sept. 2 rollback of interview waivers that now requires most applicants to appear in person and comes ahead of a $250 Visa Integrity Fee scheduled for 2026.