Omicron: US drops in-person interviews for H-1B, other visas for a year

Appointments were being granted months after application due to the pandemic

The United States will allow its consular officers to waive in-person interviews for H-1B and other certain non-immigrant visa applicants through next year to help reduce visa wait times, the State Department said on Thursday.

"The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in profound reductions in the department’s visa processing capacity," it said in a statement. " As global travel rebounds, we are taking these temporary steps to further our commitment to safely and efficiently reduce visa wait times while maintaining national security as our priority."

The consular officers will now be temporarily authorised to waive in-person interviews for nearly a dozen visa categories, including