Waivers of the Interview Requirement for Certain Nonimmigrant Visas
/The Secretary of State authorized consular officers to waive the requirement of an in-person interview for certain temporary employment nonimmigrant visa applications whose petitions have been approved by USCIS. This applies to temporary workers applying for H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q visas who meet certain conditions. These conditions include that they be applying for a visa in their country of nationality or residence.
Consular officers now have the discretion to waive the in-person interview for individual petition-based H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q applicants who were previously issued any type of visa, and who have never been refused a visa (unless a refusal was overcome or waived), and who do not appear to have any ineligibility or potential ineligibility. They may also, in their discretion, waive the visa interviews for first-time individual petition-based H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q visas who are citizens or nationals of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program, as long as they have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility and they have previously traveled to the U.S. using an authorization obtained via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
