Archive · 16 Sep 2025
US to Change Immigrant Visa Interview Locations for Indians
Starting November 1, Indians applying for U.S. immigrant visas must have their interviews in India or where they legally live.
This is similar to how it works for nonimmigrant visas.
This means if you live in the UAE, you'll interview there, not in India.
The change aims to make the process fairer and efficient, but could mean longer waits if you're not living in your home country or if you want to apply for the visa from a specific country.
Exceptions may be made for humanitarian or medical reasons.
New rules require Indian immigrant visa applicants to interview in their country of residence or nationality.
The change impacts those residing outside of India.
Applicants living abroad will generally interview in their country of residence.
The policy eliminates 'visa shopping' for faster processing.
Exceptions can be granted for humanitarian, medical, or foreign policy reasons.
- Who
- Indian immigrant visa applicants
- What
- New interview location rules
- When
- Effective November 1
- Where
- Country of residence or nationality
- Why
- To balance local workloads and reduce case backlogs
Indian Applicants Abroad
U.S. State Department
Impact
Indian Applicants Abroad
Potentially face longer timelines and stricter routing.
U.S. State Department
Aims to reduce backlogs and improve workload balance.
- Policy Change
- Interview location restrictions for Indian immigrant visas
- Effective Date
- November 1
- Affected Applicants
- Indian immigrant visa applicants
- Interview Location
- Country of residence or nationality
- Potential Impact
- May increase wait times for some applicants
Sources
US Immigrant Visa Rules Change: Indians must now apply only in India or country of residence
New US rules for nonimmigrant visa applicants for scheduling interview appointments
US to End Third-Country Visa Stamping; Apply Only in India or Country of Residence from Nov 1