The Department of State is now requiring all immigrant visa applicants to take an interview in their designated consular district or their country of nationality, with limited exceptions.
Effective November 1, 2025, the National Visa Center will schedule immigrant visa applicants in their country of residence or, if requested, country of nationality.
Residents of countries where routine visa operations are suspended or paused should apply at their designated immigrant visa processing post, unless the applicant is a national of another country with ongoing operations.
Nonimmigrant visa applicants must be able to demonstrate residence in the country where they are applying, if the place of application is based on their residency.
Also, starting October 1, the Department of State has updated its instructions for all nonimmigrant visa applicants scheduling visa interview appointments. Applicants for U.S. nonimmigrant visas (NIV) should schedule their visa interview appointments at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence.
Nationals of countries where the U.S. government is not conducting routine nonimmigrant visa operations must apply at the designated embassy or consulate, unless their residence is elsewhere.
Applicants who schedule non-immigrant interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate outside of their country of nationality or residence might find that it will be more difficult to qualify for the visa. Fees paid for such applications will not be refunded and cannot be transferred. On October 10, the US released a list of updated designated visa processing posts.
Immigrant Visa Applicants
These changes will be applied to Diversity Visa applicants in the DV-2026 program year.
Existing immigrant visa appointments will generally not be rescheduled or cancelled. If an applicant would like to transfer her or his immigrant visa case to a new consular district after the National Visa Center has scheduled the appointment, the applicant should contact the National Visa Center, not directly but by using the National Visa Center’s Public Inquiry Form.
If an applicant requests to interview in a location other than the applicant’s assigned consular district or country of nationality, the National Visa Center may request additional information to confirm that the location is the applicant’s place of residence or to confirm whether an exception may be appropriate. Rare exceptions may be made for humanitarian or medical emergencies or foreign policy reasons.