&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "EXPLAINED: US nulls interview waiver program for H1-B and other visas. Here's what India and China will face from September 2")
America is ending the “Dropbox” program for the majority of visa categories, including H1-B, on September 2, 2025. After this, people who need to renew their H1-B, L1, F1, or O1 visas will be heavily impacted, as this would require children under the age of 14 and seniors over 79 to attend interviews with a consular officer at a US consulate abroad. The only people who are likely to be exempted from this move are people with tourist visa renewals and diplomatic visas.
All about the recent modification
The Dropbox Interview Waiver Program is over
For the majority of non-immigrant visa renewals like H-1B (and H-4) visas, interview waivers will no longer be available.
Interviews in person
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Now, everyone will be required to appear for an interview for their visa approval. People who were previously exempt from it (children under 14, elders over 79) will now be included in this rule.
Limited exceptions
Those having official or diplomatic visas (such as A, G, NATO, TECRO, etc.) may still be eligible for interview waivers.
Applicants are being asked to show up for in-person interviews sooner than anticipated, and several Dropbox spots for August and September have already been suspended. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a police update saying that a visa will now be deemed “available” for the purposes of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age calculation.
Children of highly qualified immigrants from the nations with the largest backlogs, like India and China, are likely to suffer the most under this move.
