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The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Securi
ty, has authorized consular officers through the end of 2022 to waive the in-p
erson interview requirement for certain temporary employment nonimmigrant visa
applicants who have a petition approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrati
on Services. This new authorization applies to temporary workers applying fo
r H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q visas who meet certain conditions, including t
hat they are applying for a visa in their country of nationality or residence.
Under this authority, consular officers have discretion to waive the visa in
terview requirement 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 b
een refused a visa unless such refusal was overcome or waived, and who have no
apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility; or first-time individual p
etition-based H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q who are citizens or nationals of a
country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), provided they hav
e no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility and have previously tra
veled to the United States using an authorization obtained via the Electronic
System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) .
In addition, the Secretary extended previously approved policies to waive the
visa interview for certain students, professors, research scholars, short-term
scholars, or specialists (F, M, and academic J visa applicants) through the e
nd of 2022. One change to the previous policy is that applicants eligible for
the waiver authority because they are citizens or nationals of a VWP particip
ating country must have previously traveled to the United States using an auth
orization obtained via ESTA to qualify. Applicants must apply for a visa in t
heir country of nationality or residence. Like the policy for certain individ
ual petition-based visa applicants, consular officers have discretion to waive
the interview for F, M, and academic J visa applicants who were previously i
ssued any type of visa, and who have never been refused a visa unless such ref
usal was overcome or waived, and who have no apparent ineligibility or potenti
al ineligibility; or first-time F, M, and academic J visa applicants who are c
itizens or nationals of a country that participates in VWP and who have previo
usly traveled to the United States via an ESTA authorization, provided they ha
ve no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility.
The previous authority allowing for waiver of interview of certain H-2 (tempor
ary agricultural and non-agricultural workers) applicants has also been extend
ed through the end of 2022. Applicants renewing any visa within 48 months of
expiration are also eligible for interview waiver.
Consular resources and local government restrictions vary widely, and each con
sular section is continuously reviewing its capacity to adjudicate visa applic
ations during this worldwide pandemic and as we address global issues and comp
eting priorities. We encourage applicants to check the website of the relevan
t U.S. embassy or consulate to confirm the level of services currently offered
and to find guidelines for applying for a visa without an interview.