Us Visa Policy Changes And Its Impact On Applicants From Fifty-seven Countries Starting September 2025: Find Out Who’s Exempt And Who’s Not

Published on September 2, 2025

Starting September 2025, nan US has ended nan question and reply waiver strategy for visa applicants from 57 countries. This argumentation displacement impacts a wide scope of non-immigrant visa applicants, including students, workers, and travelers. Those applying for U.S. visas from these countries will now beryllium required to be in-person interviews, which could lead to longer hold times and higher costs for many.

The End of nan Interview Waiver System

The Interview Waiver Program (IWP), commonly referred to arsenic nan ‘drop-box’ system, has been a important convenience for galore visa applicants, particularly those seeking renewals. Under this system, eligible applicants could taxable their documents astatine a Visa Application Centre (VAC) without needing to be an in-person interview. As of September 2, 2025, this action is nary longer disposable for applicants from countries for illustration Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Egypt, and respective others.

Previously, galore applicants, including children nether 14, adults complete 79, and definite categories for illustration H-1B (skilled workers), L-1 (intra-company transferees), F-1 (students), and B-1/B-2 (visitor) visa holders, were eligible for automatic renewals aliases a waiver from attending interviews. However, now astir of these applicants will beryllium required to look successful personification for interviews, sloppy of whether it is their first exertion aliases a renewal.

Who Is Still Exempt?

Despite nan broadening of nan question and reply requirement, location are still immoderate exceptions. Diplomatic visas, definite world statement visas, and a fewer prime renewals for full-validity B-1/B-2 visas whitethorn still beryllium processed without an interview. However, it’s important to statement that consular officers whitethorn still petition an question and reply astatine their discretion.

Impact connected Visa Processing Times and Costs

With nan elimination of nan question and reply waiver system, U.S. consulates worldwide will person to negociate a importantly higher number of in-person interviews. This will apt lead to longer processing times and an accrued request for disposable assignment slots. In addition, nan wide costs of obtaining a visa whitethorn emergence owed to nan further staffing and processing requirements associated pinch in-person interviews.

Additional Fee Increases

As of nan extremity of September, 2 cardinal fees associated pinch U.S. visas will increase. The I-94 fee, which is required for travelers entering nan U.S. by onshore aliases from Visa Waiver Program countries, will emergence from $6 to $30. Additionally, nan Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) interest will astir double, going from $21 to $40 for travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries.

New Regulations and Fee Structures

Other changes affecting U.S. visa applicants include:

• Visa Integrity Fee: Starting this fall, a caller $250 Visa Integrity Fee will beryllium applied to galore non-immigrant visa applicants. This interest intends to money further screening and compliance measures but is expected to summation nan costs load connected applicants.
• Visa Bond Pilot Program: Some B-1/B-2 applicants from circumstantial countries (such arsenic Malawi and Zambia) will now request to station a enslaved ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 astatine nan clip of their visa interview. The enslaved will beryllium refunded if nan traveler complies pinch visa conditions.
• Expanded Vetting: There is besides an accrued attraction connected archive checks and societal media reviews arsenic portion of nan exertion process, adding to nan wide scrutiny faced by applicants.
• Fixed Stay for Students and Journalists: The U.S. authorities is considering a connection to limit nan long of enactment for F-1 students, J-1 speech visitors, and media visa holders to a fixed period. This would switch nan open-ended ‘duration of status’ system, perchance making extensions much analyzable and time-consuming.
• H-1B Visa Reform: A projected norm intends to prioritize H-1B visa issuance based connected net levels alternatively than a random lottery system. This is expected to effect applicants from countries for illustration India nan most, particularly skilled professionals.

Visa Pickup and Third-Party Collection Restrictions

In summation to nan question and reply and interest changes, location has been a notable displacement successful passport pickup rules. Since August 2025, nan U.S. Embassy successful New Delhi has stopped allowing third-party passport postulation for visa applicants. Only nan applicant aliases a designated guardian for minors tin prime up nan passport successful person, pinch a signed consent missive from some parents if needed.

Travel and Tourism Considerations

With these changes, travelers and visitors whitethorn look further hurdles erstwhile applying for U.S. visas. The summation successful processing times could hold recreation plans, particularly for those readying to be business meetings, conferences, aliases vacation. Therefore, applicants should commencement their visa applications good successful beforehand to relationship for imaginable delays.

Furthermore, travelers from countries that are nary longer eligible for nan question and reply waiver will request to hole for nan other clip and disbursal of attending in-person interviews. This could beryllium peculiarly challenging for students aliases workers who are nether tight schedules for world aliases job-related reasons.

A Changing Visa Landscape

The changes successful U.S. visa rules are portion of a broader tightening of U.S. migration policies. These regulations are apt to person a important effect connected world mobility, peculiarly for travelers and skilled professionals from nan affected countries. While nan purpose of nan argumentation displacement is to heighten information and compliance, it besides raises nan costs and complexity of obtaining U.S. visas, peculiarly for those antecedently exempt from interviews.