Big Changes In U.S. Visa Process For Indians: Here’s What’s Changing & What Stays The Same | World News

New Delhi: If you plan to apply for a US visa from India, there are some important updates you need to know. The US visa process develops with new fees, changes in procedures and updated rules that will affect your visa, receiving and renewing your visa.

Let us disrupt what remains, and how these changes can affect your application.

What are the innovations in the US visa process for Indians?

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1. No more third -party passport collections

Effective Date: August 1, 2025.

After that, if you are applying for a US visa, you or a determined family member will have to personally collect your passport. This means that there is no more third -party collection in visa application centers, and the only exception is for those who are not involved.

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What should you do: you will need to take your passport personally or select a paid delivery option to send it to your home or office.

For minors: Parents or parents can collect passports, but they will need a letter of authority signed by both parents. The versions scanned or sent by E -Post will not be accepted.

2. New Optional Paid Passport Delivery Service

Date of Validity: August 1, 2025. Now you can save a trip to the visa center by choosing to deliver your passport directly to your home or office.

COST: 1,200 RS per applicant

How to access: Login to your account at ustraveldocs.com and update your delivery preferences to select this option.

3. New Visa Integrity Fee

Effective Date: On October 1, 2025. On July 2025, as part of the “One Bigute Invoice”, a new visa integrity fee will be added to most non -immigrant visa applications.

Quantity: $ 250

Objective: This fee will help finance additional security measures and improve the integrity of the visa process. The aim is to balance the costs related to the application of visas, including safety screening.

Refund affordability: If you sleep on all visa arrangements, you may be suitable for reimbursement, while remaining the exact process uncertainty.

4. Changes in the interview waiver program (dropbox)

Effective Date: September 2, 2025. Interview waiver program (usually known as the Dropbox program) will now have a narrower scope. Applicants who do not need an interview before will now be asked to participate in person.

Affected Visas: This change applies to categories such as H, L, F, M, J, E and those visas.

Age Exemptions: Previously, children under the age of 14 and adults over 79 years of age can skip interviews. In accordance with new rules, these age groups will also need to participate in person.

5. Visa categories that will not be affected

While many categories see these changes, there are still not affected.

Exemplary Visas: A-1 and A-2 visas, some C-3 visas, G-1 to G-4 visas, NATO-1-NATO-6 visa and Tecro E-1 visa.

What remains the same?

Although there are some important changes, the basic process for US visas remains largely unchanged.

Visa fee validity: Payments will still be valid for 365 days.

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Appointment Planning: You will continue to reserve your appointments via the official portal.

Required Documents: The list of documents required for your visa application has not changed.

What to do if your Dropbox appointment is canceled?

If your Dropbox appointment has been canceled for August or September 2025, how can you move forward:

Check the Official Notification: Call an E -mail containing cancellation notification.

Plan the appointment again: Login to your visa profile and re -plan. Don’t forget to complete updated conformity questions.

Use paid MRV receipts: You can use paid MRV receipts before to plan or re -plan your appointment once. The US Embassy confirmed that a canceled appointment will not be counted against the permissible number of re -planning.