The Indian appointment rules under the Visa Interview Waiver or the Dropbox program have been modified. Dropbox will now only be available to applicants renewing a visa in the same nonimmigrant category that expired within the previous 12 months.
The Dropbox program simplifies the visa renewal procedure by eliminating the requirement for eligible individuals to attend in-person visa interviews at the US Embassy and Consulates.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (visitor visa purposes) for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. However, Indian nationals are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program
Now, the Visa Interview Waiver or Dropbox program qualifying threshold for Indians has been altered from 48 to 12 months.
In the past, applicants who had a granted nonimmigrant visa in any category that had expired within the previous 48 months were eligible for Dropbox processing.
For instance, F-1 students who have received an H-1B change of status in the US could use the Dropbox procedure, which essentially consists of dropping off documents for consular processing and submitting biometrics.
In order to alleviate consular backlogs, the extended 48-month eligibility window was implemented during the COVID-19 epidemic and was anticipated to last indefinitely.
Visa applicants who are renewing their visas and are subject to certain conditions or who meet certain age requirements may schedule an interview waiver appointment. Repeat travelers to the United States may, under some circumstances, renew their visas without appearing at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate for an interview.
You may submit your visa application at a Visa Application Center (VAC) as an Interview Waiver and proceed without a consular interview if you meet all conditions. To qualify for an interview waiver, each visa applicant, whether an individual, a dependant family member, or as part of a group, must independently meet the eligibility criteria on the day of submission of the visa application.
Indians need to provide documentation verifying their residency status like a photocopy of an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card, or an employment visa, or any other Government-issued documents.
It seems that the only people who are still eligible for Dropbox processing are those whose previous visas in the same category expired within the last 12 months. In order to avoid rejection or processing delays, applicants who fail to achieve this condition must reschedule their in-person visa interview.
H-1B, L-1, O-1, and other nonimmigrant visa holders who previously depended on Dropbox processing for visa renewals may be significantly impacted by this shift.
The new rules could result in increased demand for visa appointments at American consulates and embassies in person. There could be longer wait periods for people who intend to use Dropbox to renew their visas.
Before your planned visit, be sure you are eligible. You might need to reschedule your in-person interview if your previous visa expired more than a year ago or if you are applying for a different type of visa. You may consider Premium Processing for H-1B extensions to help avoid travel disruptions.
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are centralizing the processing of most nonimmigrant visa interview waiver cases in Chennai to maximize productivity and increase efficiencies. This change will apply to all visa categories except B1/B2 short-term visitor visas, which will continue to be processed at every consular section.
Already scheduled interview waiver appointments will be unchanged, but new C1/D, F, H, J, L, and M interview waiver appointments, after October 1, will be available only in Chennai. Applicants will still be able to drop off and pick up their interview waiver documents at any of the five Visa Application Centers or six Document Drop Off Centers located throughout India