The U.S. State Department ended 2023 with some good news for the travel industry, announcing—in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security—an extension and expansion of its nonimmigrant visa interview waiver program for certain “low risk” visa applicants.
The extension and expanded eligibility criteria took effect Jan. 1, 2024 and will remain in effect indefinitely, though the agency will review the program annually. The nonimmigrant interview waiver program had previously been extended in one-year increments, with the most recent extension scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2023.
The U.S. Travel Association is praising the decision, which came a month after the organization sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging both agencies to extend the visa interview waiver authority, which gives consular officers the discretion to waive in-person interviews for eligible nonimmigrant visa…
