US consular officers received a special authorization to waive the in-person interview requirement for US Employment visa applicants who have a petition approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) until the end of 2022.
This new authorization applies to H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q visas.
Under this authority, consular officers have discretion to waive the visa interview requirements if certain conditions apply:
- Applicants who are applying for a visa in their country of nationality or residence.
- Applicants who were previously issued any type of visa, and who have never been refused a visa unless such refusal was overcome or waived, and who have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility.
- First-time applicants who are citizens or nationals of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), provided they have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility and have previously traveled to the US on ESTA.
Interview authorization continues to applies to F, M, J and H2 visas (students, professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, or specialists and non-agricultural workers). Under the above conditions.
Lastly, the authorization to waive the in-person interview for applicants renewing a visa in the same visa class including B-1/B-2 within 48 months of the prior visa’s expiration date will continue.