US announces new rules to streamline H-1B visa appointments, relief for Indian techies

US H1B visa: The US Embassy in India, beginning from January 1, 2025, will implement new regulations for scheduling and rescheduling non-immigrant visa appointments, including those for H-1B visas, aimed at streamlining the process and reducing wait times.

This announcement on the US embassy's official Instagram post, comes soon after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled new rules to modernize the US H-1B visa process, allowing applicants to fill job vacancies in critical sectors swiftly.

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US Visa

Under the new visa appointment rules, applicants can reschedule their appointments once without paying additional fees. However, if they miss their rescheduled appointment or need to reschedule more than once, they must book a new appointment and pay the fees again.

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“These changes will make it easier and faster for everyone to get appointments,” the embassy stated in their post, requesting all applicants to attend their scheduled appointments to ensure that the process remained smooth and efficient.

H1B Visa

Another move taken to make the visa process faster and curb misuse has been the revamped H-1B visa regulations under the Biden administration, which will also come into effect on January 17, 2025.

Applicants for H-1B visas will now have to show that their degree is directly related to their job, to ensure that there is no misuse of the programme.

The new rules have also authorised immigration officials to process extension requests based on prior approvals, to streamline the process. They will also have the power to conduct compliance checks in the workplace more often.

One of the new rules also allows people with previous applications to avoid in-person interviews and use their earlier records through the Interview Waiver Programme, which also makes the process much quicker for applicants.