Recent announcements have revealed that the US embassy has resumed B1/B2 visa appointments and given consular officers the authority to waive off the in-person interview requirements.
In a wave of recent announcements, the US embassy has announced the reintroduction of visa processing of the routine in-person B1/B2 visa appointments starting September 2022. The notice further announced that the appointments do not act as placeholder appointments.
Adding to this, the US embassy also announced that the consular officers now hold the authority to waive the in-person interview requirements for select visa categories through 31 December 2022.
The embassy revealed that the waiver will apply to travelers seeking F, H-1, H-3, H-4, non-blanket L, M, O, P, Q, and academic J visas, who have been issued any type of visa previously, and if they are applying for the visas in their respective countries.