From 1st September 2019, certain Indian visa candidates can apply for a waiver from the required visa interview. The US announced this to make the visa application process shorter for Indian candidates.
The US Consulate also said it intends to improve customer service for visa applicants in India and to reduce turnaround times for visa renewals.
Children under 14 and seniors over 79 applying for a visa renewal can apply for a waiver of the visa interview, subject to meeting specified conditions.
The US Consulate says that beginning from the first of September, qualified candidates for an interview waiver must schedule an appointment to drop their visa application documents and passport. In India, this can be done at the visa application centers listed below. An official at the visa application center will check the documents before accepting them, and then send them to the US Embassy or US Consulate, according to The Economic Times. Candidates will get a decision on their US visa application within 7 to 10 days of submitting their application.
However, candidates must know that in some cases, they might be called for a visa interview.
If a candidate needs to appear for a visa interview, they should travel to the post where they submitted their interview waiver application. Your post can not be changed once you have submitted your application. Candidates will be informed on how to proceed further for the visa interview.
From 2 September 2025, the US State Department ended most interview waivers: applicants under 14 and over 79 now generally need an in-person interview, with limited exceptions such as some B1/B2 renewals within 12 months of the previous visa’s expiry.
The US has visa application centers in India:
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New Delhi
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Kolkata
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Mumbai
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Hyderabad
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Chennai
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Jalandhar
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Chandigarh
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Kochi
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Ahmedabad
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Pune
The USA’s share of the long-haul international travel market has been steadily falling. From a high of 13.7% in 2015, it has dropped to 11.7% in 2018 according to the US Travel Association.
The decline cost the USA 14 million international visitors, around $59 billion in visitor spending and around 120,000 jobs.
The US received a total of 79.8 million international visitors in 2018. Canada contributed around 21 million and Mexico 18.2 million, while other overseas markets contributed 40.6 million.
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