Beginning September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of State will change its policy regarding interview waivers for nonimmigrant visa applicants. According to the new guidelines, most applicants—including those younger than 14 and older than 79—will need to attend an in-person interview with a consular officer.
There are some exceptions to this requirement. Applicants renewing B-1, B-2, B1/B2 visas or Border Crossing Cards within 12 months of their previous visa’s expiration may be eligible for an interview waiver if their prior visa was issued for full validity and they were at least 18 years old at that time. Additionally, individuals applying for diplomatic or official-type visas, as well as those classifiable under certain visa symbols such as A-1, A-2, specific C-3 and G categories, NATO or TECRO, are also exempt from the in-person interview requirement.
The U.S. Embassy in The Philippines encourages applicants to review updated information about these requirements on its website at https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/. For further questions regarding the process, applicants can reach out through https://ph.usembassy.gov/contact-us-visas/.
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