US Visa Rule Change: Fresh Hurdle for Indians Seeking H-1B, F1 and Visitor Visas

Indians applying for student or visitor visas to the US are facing a fresh hurdle. In a recent directive, the US Department of State announced that non-immigrant visas — including visitor (B1/B2), employment (H-1B, O-1) and student (F1) — can now be applied for only from the applicant’s country of residence or citizenship, effective immediately.

Many Indians had been applying for US visas in countries like Vietnam, Thailand and parts of Europe to bypass the long interview waitlists at home. The new rule now mandates that Indians apply exclusively in India.

The move comes at a time when the US administration under President Donald Trump has already tightened visa rules to curb illegal immigration. With wait times for short-term visitor visas exceeding a year and limited slots for student visas, the change has further strained the process.

Experts note that since June, Indians had increasingly turned to third countries as securing visa slots in India became extremely difficult. Applying abroad, however, proved costlier, as applicants had to spend at least a week in the host country for biometrics and interviews.

The option to apply from outside one’s home country was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to ease backlogs. With the DoS scrapping that flexibility, many Indians who had applied for student or visitor visas in Europe, Asia or the Middle East will now need to reapply from India.

Long wait times and stricter scrutiny were the key reasons why Indians chose to bear the higher costs of applying elsewhere. The policy shift has now dealt a severe blow to Indian students seeking admission to American universities.