New Delhi: Indians studying or working in the US are a worried lot, amid the new visa rules brought out by the Trump administration. Earlier, for those renewing their visa, the process was a seamless, effortless exercise, but with the changed rules, even those who have been working or studying in the US for some years, the prospect of renewing their visa has become a headache.
As of September 2025, Indian applicants for non-immigrant visas (including B1/B2, F, and H-1B) can no longer apply for faster interview slots in other countries like Singapore or Thailand. All interviews have now to be scheduled in India, which is expected to increase the strain on the US consulates.
The US has stopped its earlier interview waiver (Dropbox) programme, under which the applicant had to just submit his or her passport and work details at any consulate, and the visa would come home stamped in a fortnight. However, effective September 2, 2025, the US has narrowed the scope of who can skip an in-person interview.
Now nearly all Indian visa applicants must appear for an in-person interview, at the Chennai consulate, adding to the delays and uncertainty. Now children under 14 and adults over 79 are required to attend an interview. The interview waiver period for B1/B2 visa renewals has also been reduced from 48 months to 12 months from the date of expiration.
Since August 1, 2025, third-party representatives are not allowed to collect passports from visa application centers. Applicants must now pick up their documents in person or pay for a new optional home delivery service.
The US has also introduced a “Visa Integrity Fee”. It will be charging a new $250 fee for most non-immigrant visas, which is to take effect from October 1, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security may potentially reimburse this fee for visa holders who comply with the terms of their visit.
Since June 2025, Indian applicants for student visas (F, M, or J) have been required to set their social media profiles to public so that US consular authorities can review their online history. This has come in the aftermath of the strong political protests and campaigns in US universities, especially over Palestine.
A proposed rule by the Department of Homeland Security could replace the standard “duration of status” with a fixed-term visa, potentially capped at four years. This could affect Ph.D. students and those on Optional Practical Training (OPT).
As of August 2025, reports indicate that student visa approval rates in India have fallen to below 50% in some centers.
The U.S. plans to implement new rules for the H-1B visa program by early 2026.
As per a new lottery system, the proposed changes would prioritize applicants with higher wages, which could disadvantage recent graduates and entry-level workers.
For California-based Gayathri Krishnan, who is working at a top tech firm, the new visa rules have created a sense of uncertainty. She has to first book a slot at the Chennai consulate, which is the only one where H-1B visas are being processed, with the dropbox system done away with. Though she has spent over a decade in the US, she has to now appear for an interview at the consulate. After clearing the interview, she will have to wait three-four days for the visa to be processed for them to hand it to her. All this means, booking a hotel for those many days, or staying at a relative or friend’s house. Adding to the problems is her having to care for her small baby, with the uncertainty of it all causing a lot of tension.
The story is the same for Samarth Singh, who is doing a post-doctoral in the US. Renewing the visa last year was an effortless process, he had to just drop the documents at any consulate in India, and the visa would come to his home address in India in a fortnight.
Now he is wondering what to do. Should he book a slot at Chennai now, or should he risk it and finish his post-doctoral work by overstaying for a few months. What if the Trump administration decides not to renew his visa. That would mean all his scientific work would go to waste.
These are some of the problems Indians in the US are contending with in the face of the Trump administration making the process more stringent.
Many post-doctoral researchers say if the visa issue creates hurdles in their professional path, then they will prefer to look for positions in Europe or Japan, rather than the US.
According to reports, Indians are among the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B programme.
In 2023, they received 68,825 initial employment visas (58% of the total) and 2.10 lakh extensions (79%). China followed with 16,094 initial approvals and 29,250 extensions.
