The State Department changed its US visa interview country of residence guidance on July 15, 2026, telling nonimmigrant visa applicants to schedule interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence.
For Indian nationals who had considered visa stamping in a third country, the change makes the location decision more consequential.
What changed?
State’s guidance took effect immediately. Applicants should schedule nonimmigrant visa interviews in the country where they are nationals or where they reside. If they rely on residence rather than nationality, they must be able to demonstrate residence in that country. This does not mean an Indian citizen who legally lives in Canada, the United Kingdom or another country must necessarily return to India. Residence is expressly one of the permitted bases.
What about third-country appointments?
State warned that applicants scheduling outside their country of nationality or residence may find it more difficult to qualify and should expect significantly longer appointment waits. Fees paid for those applications are not refundable and cannot be transferred. That changes the risk calculation for visa applicants who previously searched globally for a consulate with an earlier appointment.
What happens to appointments already booked?
State says existing nonimmigrant visa appointments generally will not be cancelled. It leaves room for specific posts to cancel appointments in particular circumstances, in which case applicants will be notified. An applicant with an existing third-country appointment should therefore check the relevant post rather than cancelling based solely on a headline.
Why H-1B workers should pay attention
Indian H-1B professionals sometimes combine travel with visa stamping in countries outside India. The new guidance does not say all third-country processing is legally impossible. It does make nationality/residence the normal scheduling route and warns of practical disadvantages outside that route. For an H-1B worker residing in the United States, the “country of residence” concept may raise operational questions because U.S. visa interviews occur abroad. Applicants should rely on the destination post’s current instructions and State guidance rather than assuming that physical U.S. residence automatically makes any foreign post appropriate.
Students and visitors are also covered
The announcement applies broadly to nonimmigrant visa applicants, not only H-1B workers. That can include Indian students seeking F-1 visas, H-4 dependents and B-1/B-2 applicants.
State lists exceptions for certain diplomatic, official and international-organization visa categories and says rare exceptions may be made for humanitarian or medical emergencies or foreign-policy reasons.
Hypothetical example
An Indian citizen legally employed and resident in Singapore needs an H-1B visa before taking up U.S. employment. Under the July guidance, the person can consider applying based on Singapore residence and should be prepared to demonstrate that residence.
By contrast, an Indian applicant with no residence connection to a third country who chooses it solely because an appointment appeared sooner may face the disadvantages State now specifically warns about.
What should applicants check?
Before paying a visa fee or booking travel, verify that the chosen consular post will accept the application under its current rules. Check the appointment wait time, residence-document requirements and whether the post has published additional local guidance. Because visa fees are not transferable under the July announcement, booking first and investigating later can create avoidable costs.
| Issue | New guidance |
|---|---|
| Normal interview location | Nationality or residence country |
| Residence-based filing | Must demonstrate residence |
| Third-country filing | May be harder; significantly longer wait |
| Existing appointment | Generally not cancelled |
| Fees | Non-refundable/non-transferable |
FAQ
Must every Indian national interview in India? No. State also permits the country of residence.
Are third-country appointments completely banned? The guidance warns against them but does not describe a universal absolute prohibition.
Will existing appointments be cancelled? Generally no.
Indian visa applicants should treat nationality or genuine residence as the normal interview-location basis and verify a third-country plan before paying fees or traveling.
