The U.S. Mission to India continues to be an incredibly popular initiative. In 2024, it issues more than one million nonimmigrant visas for the second year in a row, as Indian citizens increasingly look to travel to the U.S. for tourism, business, and education.
However, Mission India has quietly updated some of its applicant requirements moving forward.
Applicants no longer will be able to apply using the dropbox/interview waiver process unless their prior visas are still valid or have expired within the last 12 months. Previously, applicants whose visas had expired 48 months prior who met certain criteria were eligible for dropbox appointments.
Please note that there was no official announcement, but Mission India recently updated the criteria on its website. Click here for more information.
With a much lower numbers of applicants meeting dropbox criteria, the consulates in India are going to see a large increase in applications requiring the applicants be called for interviews. Therefore, applicants are going to see a large increase in the number of days it will take to secure a visa appointment.
Employers should note that foreign national employees may seek to take leave more often or for a longer period or may ask the business to assist with making expedited requests for earlier appointments due to changes in visa processing. They also may be more anxious overall regarding the new criteria due to the above referenced executive orders.