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India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
H-1B visa rule change: In-person interviews a must, may hit Indian techies
The US Department of State has scrapped the Interview Waiver Programme, also known as the "Dropbox" facility, effective September 2, which will require most non-immigrant visa applicants, including H-1B, L1, and F1 visas, to attend in-person interviews at US embassies or consulates. The move is expected to have a major impact on Indian tech workers, who make up the largest share of H-1B recipients warn that applicants may face longer waits for visa appointments in India, travel delays, and even the risk of losing their work authorisation if they can't return in time. Visa experts are urging applicants to plan early and keep a close watch on appointment Dropbox facility has been a major convenience for eligible travellers, allowing them to bypass the in-person visa interview by simply submitting their documents at a designated centre. Only a few categories of applicants remain eligible for interview waivers under the updated rules. These include diplomatic and official visa applicants, such as those applying under the A-1, A-2, C-3 (excluding attendants or servants), G-1 to G-4, NATO-1 to NATO-6, and TECRO E-1 visa applicants renewing full-validity B-1, B-2, or B1/B2 visas – or Border Crossing Cards for Mexican nationals – within 12 months of their previous visa's expiration may also qualify, provided they were at least 18 years old at the time their prior visa was TECHIES COULD LOSE WORK PERMITS: EXPERTS WARNEDThese changes are likely to have a significant impact on Silicon Valley, where H-1B visas play a key role in helping companies recruit skilled talent – most of whom are from make up the largest share of H-1B visa holders. In 2022, Indian nationals secured 77% of the 3,20,000 approved H-1B visas, and in fiscal year 2023, this figure remained high at 72.3% of the 3,86,000 visas Hing, a professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco, said the new visa interview requirement might delay processing and will also impact Silicon Valley."This is going to entail a delay in their processing. It can be costly, because [visa holders] may be stuck, for example, in India or China, and they won't be able to get back to work," NBC quoted Bill Hing as noted that the requirement for in-person interviews will present a particular challenge for visa holders whose home countries are far professor added that with the Interview Waiver Program, many visa holders have been able to get their renewal paperwork completed in just a few weeks. But with the requirement for in-person interviews, he expects the approval process to take longer, NBC Duehning, a partner in the BAL immigration law firm's San Francisco office, also said visa interview delays could cost H-1B workers their jobs."We can only anticipate that the wait times at the consulates in India are going to get very, very long," quoted Duehning as saying."If they don't get an appointment in time, they could lose their work authorisation," he Golding, an immigrant law practitioner from San Jose, California, expects a surge of in-person appointments at consulates, as well as delays due to the demand, NBC reported."So, it's really important for people to make those plans ahead of time and make sure their applications are fully complete, so there are no delays once they get in front of an officer," NBC quoted her as per US Citizenship and Immigration Services, California leads the nation with over 61,000 H-1B visa holders. Among the top ten US companies sponsoring these visas are Bay Area giants Meta (ranked 4th), Apple (5th), and Google (6th), according to a report in NBC Bay H-1B annual limit is 65,000, plus a 20,000 exemption for individuals with an advanced degree from a US Ends
Hindustan Times
12-08-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
H-1B visa update: How mandatory in-person interviews will affect Silicon Valley workers
In a major update on the H-1B and other nonimmigrant visa rules, the US Department of State announced on July 25 that the in-person interview for applicants, which was previously scrapped, has been made mandatory again. Representational.(AFP) It means that starting September 2, 2025, all nonimmigrant visa holders will have to attend in-person interviews in their home countries to get their visas renewed. One of the sectors in the United States where this procedure change is going to create significant problems is the tech hub in California - the Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley companies have thousands of tech workers who are in the country on H-1B visas. Here's how they will be affected due to the recent rule change How Silicon Valley Will Be Affected By the H-1B Rule Change Located in California's Bay Area, Silicon Valley ranks second in the number of H-1B visa permit approvals issued between 2021 and 2024, according to the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, around 1% of all workers in the Bay Area held newly approved H-1B visas. In 2024 alone, of the 78,000 workers approved for H-1B visas, more than 39,000 were from Silicon Valley. Of them, the majority were Indians. H-1B workers will now have to travel back to their country and take part in an in-person interview to get their visas renewed. H-1B visas and are typically issued for three years and are eligible for another three-year renewal. Audrea Golding, an immigrant law practitioner from San Jose, told NBC News that it would not only mean travel for the employees but also for their family. Also read: US scraps interview waiver program for H1-B and other visa holders; How it will impact you from September 2 "Now, the requirement will be that the person goes, typically, back to their home country, to apply for that visa," he said. He revealed that those below the age of 14 and above the age of 79 will also have to travel back to their country. Bill Hing, a professor of Law and Migration Studies at the University of San Francisco, explained to NBC Bay Area that it would result in additional expenses, cause delay, and may disrupt work in the companies. "This is going to entail a delay in their processing, it can be costly, because [visa holders] may be stuck, for example, in India or China, and they won't be able to get back to work," Hing said. "It's going to be a problem for the Bay Area, especially because Silicon Valley and other big businesses in San Francisco and the Bay Area rely very heavily on H-1Bs," Hind added. All major tech companies have a significant number of workers on H-1B visas. Google has approximately 5,367 H-1B employees, with Meta and Apple also employing in similar numbers.
