The US visa interview appointment is an essential part of the application process, and you need to know the details and important points about it. There have been some new announcements and changes you would better know.
Do you need to book a US visa interview appointment?
The answer is up to your situation and the visa you are applying for. There is an interview waiver for some US visas, such as:
- A-1
- A-2
- C-2
- C-3
- G-1
- G-2
- G-3
- G-4
The people who are younger than 14 and older than 79 do not need to have a US visa interview appointment for the visa they are applying for.
In case the applicants want to renew the following visas, there is no need for a US visa interview appointment:
- BCC
- B-1
- B-2
- C-1
- D
- F
- J
- M
- O
The visa you want to renew needs to be in the same classification, so you do not need a US visa interview appointment.
Bear in mind that the interview is different than the biometrics collection. You might be able to waive one of them but not both. The embassy or consulate will inform you which one you can waive and save time in your application.
What is an emergency US visa interview appointment?
The US visa applicants can apply to have an emergency US visa interview appointment if they are qualified. You can have a shorter processing time for your visa and get a result on your application sooner by bringing forward your US visa interview appointment.
US visa interview appointment applicant needs to have a justified reason to be eligible for an emergency appointment. They are as follows:
- Death or funeral emergencies
- Urgent business trip
- Medical emergency cases
- Taking part in a planned event
- ESTA refusal
- Travelers refused at the check-in
The above factors are mentioned by the USCIS, and if you are eligible, you can apply to the US embassy or consulate in your home country to have a US visa interview appointment sooner. However, the decision is always with the embassy, and having one of the above reasons doesn’t guarantee anything.
I am running out of time. Do I qualify for a US visa interview appointment?
You have applied for a US student visa and need to enter the US by a particular date, or you have applied for a work visa, and you may get to the US late. So are you qualified for an emergency US visa interview appointment?
The answer is no. It’s not an acceptable reason for the embassy so you can get the appointment. If you have an urgent business meeting with a US businessperson or you need to attend a meeting or exhibition, you do not qualify for an emergency US visa interview appointment. The reason must be among the factors mentioned above.
Note: bear in mind that you have to provide evidence and proof that your journey is essential and you need an emergency meeting.
How can you make a US visa interview appointment?
There is no special preparation for an emergency US visa interview appointment. The first step to take is to make a regular visa appointment. You need to pay the required fee, schedule an interview appointment then complete and submit the online DS-160 visa application.
Not all the US consulates or embassies might provide an emergency meeting. So before you schedule one, check if they provide it or not. If the embassy in your country of residence does not provide the meeting, you can not get it.
Are there US visas that do not need US visa interview appointments?
Yes. The US government announced on January 2022 that there are some US visas that do not require a US visa interview appointment. USCIS wanted a faster visa application process, so they introduced the new law for some visas. The new order gets called “Simplified Visa Application Order.”
It applies to US work visas, but the applicant needs to be eligible.
It is true with the temporary work visas:
- H-1
- H-3
- H-4
- L
- O
- P
- Q
The new rule is valid until the 31st of December, 2022. It remains to be seen whether it will be valid in 2023 or not. The new rule allows only mail applications.
The people who qualify for no US visa interview appointment are as follows:
- The applicant must have received one US visa before and attended a US visa interview.
- Applicants need to apply in the country of their residence and be in the country at the time of application; for instance, a French applicant must be in France, not in the UK.
- No visa denial in the applicant’s history.
- No visa exclusion reasons for the applicant.
- Applicant has entered the US soil once
- Applicant has not been denied an ESTA
US student visa holders
If you have a US student visa, you can apply for the following visa without an interview:
- F
- M
- Certain J-1 visas:
- Secondary and University Students
- Professors
- Research or Short-term Scholars
- Specialists
If the US students visa holders apply for a US work visa, they do not need an interview either.
Also, the H-2A and H-2B interview exemption has been extended until the end of 2022.
Are there US visas that a US visa interview appointment is a must?
Yes, there are some US visas that the applicants need to pass an interview during the application process:
- E-3
- T
- U
- H-1, or blanket L-1 visa
The interview waiver decision is with the US embassy, but it is unlikely that you will get a waiver for US immigrant visas.
How can you schedule a US visa interview appointment?
To apply for a US visa interview appointment, you need to complete the Form DS-160 form on the USCIS website. When you submit your application ad provide the supporting documents to the US Embassy Visa Application Center (VAC), they begin processing it.
After a few days, they inform you of the visa meet the location of the meeting.
In case you qualify for an emergency meeting, as explained above, you can apply for one and mention it in your application. Bear in mind that you might be exempt from the interview, but you should figure it out from your conditions.
The online platforms that allow you to schedule a US visa interview appointment are as follows:
- ustraveldocs
- ais.usvisa-info
- VisaExpress
Note: There must be one day gap between the interview appointment and fingerprint-taking appointment.
What are supporting documents required during a US visa interview appointment?
The supporting documents that you need to carry to your US visa interview appointment are up to the visa, but the general ones are as follows:
- A passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay in the US.
- Receipt number visa application fee payment
- DS-160 confirmation page
- E-mail address
- Required supporting documents by the visa type you have applied for
- Confirmation of medical examination
What happens during a US visa interview?
Before you go to the US visa interview appointment, you need to find the exact location of the palace as its owls are bad to get lost along the way. For example, there are some countries where there is no US consulate embassy inside them, such as Iran. The applicants from this Middle East country need to attend US visa interview appointments in neighboring countries such as Turkey, the UAE, Armenia, etc. So they need to find the exact location and know the entrance rules.
During the interview, your fingerprints will be scanned. You would better not take any extra electric equipment or large bags as it is a bit hard to go through the security of the embassy. Wearing something official would have a good impression on you and your application.
Try to get to the interview at least an hour early as there might be delays passing through the security or a long line of applicants. Getting to the interview late could be the last nail in your application coffin—double-check to bring all the supporting documents.
When you enter the embassy, you will go through the security and check you not to carry any illegal items. Then you will receive a token for the interview, and now you have to gove your fingerprints. The visa officer will take your fingerprints and inform you of further instructions.
After the fingerprints stage, you need to wait in the area, so it is your turn for the interview. You need to provide your documents to the officer during the interview.
The visa officer will take the requirements and ask you some questions regarding the visa type you have applied for.
What happens if you are late for a US visa interview appointment?
In case you are late for the interview for a few minutes because there are liens of people in the embassy, there is nothing to worry about. But if you are late and no one is on the line, you miss your appointment. If you are late for reasons that are out of your control at the embassy, you get your appointment, but if you are late for your own fault, you are going to miss the interview.
What should you do if you can not attend the US visa interview appointment?
In case of emergency and unexpected issues that you can not attend the US US visa interview appointment, you need to get in touch with the embassy ASAP and notify them about the reason you cannot attend the meeting.
If you do not do so, your application might get canceled. The fee you have paid for visa processing is not refunded either.
Can you cancel the US visa interview appointment?
The answer is up to your case and situation. It is the embassy or consulate that decides whether you can cancel the US visa interview appointment or not. Contact them and explain the reason, but it is highly unlikely.
In case you are not interested in receiving a US visa, contact the NVC and tell them that you don’t want the visa anymore.
Is it possible to defer or rearrange the US visa interview appointment?
It is recommended to attend the US visa interview appointment on the exact date you have set the NVC has set it for you. Otherwise, if you have reasons not to attend it, you can defer, rearrange or reschedule it.
You can call the VAC or change the date of the appointment online. The process moves the date to another available one. If you want the US embassy to accept the rescheduling, you need to provide a convincing reason. This is for nonimmigrant visa appointments.
If you want to reschedule an immigrant visa appointment, you need to contact the embassy and explain why you need to do it. Provide your case number or application number to the embassy and inform them of the available time you can attend the meeting. The timing you request might not be available, and the embassy provides you a time of the available ones.
If you defer a US visa interview appointment more than twice, you might have to pay a fee for a penalty.
How to arrange a US visa interview appointment?
When you apply for a US nonimmigrant visa, you schedule the visa interview appointment yourself, but that is not the case with US immigrant visas. The National Visa Center (NVC) determines the time for applicants.
When the USCIS evaluates the application for a work visa or a family visa and decides on it, they send the documents to the NVC. The NVC center provides the applicants:
- a case identification number
- a fee identification number
Then, they schedule a visa appointment depending on the type of visa. If there is an annual cap, you need to wait until it is your turn. If not, you can expect it sooner, but if not, you can expect it to be later, depending on how busy the VAC is.
Remember that there is no voice with the US embassy appointment that you get for immigrant visas, and you have to make time to attend them.
Let’s sum up…
The US visa interview appointment is an essential part of the US visa application process. The fate of the application rides on it, and you need to be careful about it. There are some rules and regulations that all got explained in this article, from the people who have to pass the interview and those who do not need to have it and new announcements.
If you have questions regarding the US visa interview appointment, write them in the comment section below, and the Visa Library team will provide the answer as soon as possible.