US Visa and H-1B Review in 2025: What Indian Applicants Need to Know | World news

From 1 January 2025 American Embassy in India will implement significant changes to reduce waiting times for visa appointmentswhile Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is introducing sweeping reforms to the H-1B visa program. These initiatives aim to simplify the application process and speed up approvals, especially for Indian technicians.
Important changes to visa appointment rules
Indian applicants seeking US visas will see more flexibility when it comes to rescheduling appointments. The Embassy will now allow applicants to reschedule their appointments once without incurring additional fees. However, if another rescheduling is required or an appointment is missed, applicants must book a new appointment and pay the non-refundable application fee of $185 (Rs 15,730) again. The Embassy has strongly encouraged applicants to attend their scheduled appointments to maintain efficiency and ensure fairness in the process.
H-1B visa review begins on January 17, 2025
To address concerns about visa abuse and ensure that only qualified professionals receive work permits, the Biden administration is introducing several important changes to the H-1B visa program. From 17 January 2025, applicants will have to demonstrate that their academic qualifications are directly relevant to the job role they are applying for, making it more difficult for non-specialised workers to obtain visas.
In addition, the application process for extending H-1B visas will become more efficient. Immigration officials will be able to process extension requests based on prior approvals, reducing the amount of paperwork required and speeding up decisions. To ensure that companies comply with the terms of the H-1B program, there will also be enhanced workplace compliance checks.
Expansion of interview exemption program
One of the most anticipated changes is the expansion of the Interview Waiver Program, which will allow applicants who have previously applied for a US visa to bypass in-person interviews. This initiative, which aims to significantly reduce waiting times, will use past records to process new applications, making it easier for frequent travelers and those with established visa histories to renew their visas quickly.
A bold step towards reducing the visa backlog
To address the growing visa backlog, the United States will increase the number of available visa agreements by 1 million by 2025. This expansion builds on the 11.5 million visas issued in 2024, which included 8.5 million visitor visas. While waiting times for B1/B2 visas remain high – with Hyderabad currently at 429 days and Chennai at 479 days – these changes are expected to bring significant reductions over time.
Focus on sectors with high demand
The reforms, particularly in the H-1B visa program, reflect a growing commitment by the US government to meet the demands of key industries, particularly technology. As India is a primary source of skilled labor for Silicon Valley and other US tech hubs, the changes are seen as an important step in addressing both the backlog and the specific needs of high-demand sectors such as IT.