With COVID-19 set to enter the third year, the United States has decided to ease up the work visa application process for hundreds of people who migrate to the country every year. In a statement released on December 23, the US State Department stated the in-person interview process is being suspended temporarily for some particular types of work visas, including the most popular H-1B. What does this mean for Indians applying to move to the US? Let's find out.
What has the US decided?
The US has decided to do away with the in-person interview process, which is the last step in the US visa application process. An applicant has to visit a US Consulate in their home country to appear for an interview with a consular officer. According to the statement issued, the consular officers have now been given the right to waive-off in-person interviews for people seeking to apply for a non-immigrant work visa and those who have petitioned to do so. The waive-off has been granted till December 31, 2022. But that's not the only good news. The State Department also said that those who are renewing their visa within the same visa category within 48 months of their previous visa's expiration are also eligible for an in-person interview waiver. This facility, however, has been extended to consular workers indefinitely.
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Which work visa categories are eligible?
Besides the H-1B, which is a visa for persons in speciality occupations and the most popular among the Indian IT crowd, H-3 visas (for trainee or special education visitors), L visas (for intracompany transferees), O visas (for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement), P visas (for athletes, artists, and entertainers), and Q visas (for participants in international cultural exchange programs).
Are any non-work visa categories eligible?
Yes, in fact, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also given the right to consular officers to waive-off in-person interviews till December 31, 2022, for some other categories, including student visas. From students visas like the F and M visas to student exchange visitors (J visas) and even the temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers who hold H-2 visas are eligible for a waive-off.
What does this mean for Indians?
Every year thousands of Indians apply for a US work or student visa. Due to the pandemic, there has been a massive backlog and an increased wait time to get an in-person interview for the visa application process to be completed. With the waive-off, Indian techies and students who seek to study abroad can breathe a sigh of relief. However, the waive-off is on a case-to-case basis and depends on the country.
