SEVIS SAVVY X ARGO VISA
Interview Waiver for International Students
Since the pandemic hit, the Secretary of State laid out the in-person interview waiver policy for certain nonimmigrant visa holders including F-1 and J-1 students.
The policy was extended several times in 2021 and 2022 to accommodate the increasing needs and eligible students will be able to waive the in-person interview requirement by the end of 2023 (December 31, 2023).
Furthermore, the policy that enables current and eligible F-1 and academic J-1 visa holders to renew their visas without having an in-person interview has been extended indefinitely.
This blog post will also outline the required documents for the visa interview and immigration for international students.
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Additionally, the Secretary of State has extended consular officers’ current ability to waive the in-person interview, through December 31, 2023, for the following other categories of nonimmigrant visas: Temporary Agricultural and Non-agricultural Workers (H-2 visas), Students (F and M visas), and Student Exchange Visitors (Academic J visas). We recognize the many contributions of international visitors to our communities and campuses. Lastly, the authorization to waive the in-person interview for applicants renewing a visa in the same visa class within 48 months of the prior visa’s expiration has been extended indefinitely.
EXPANDED INTERVIEW WAIVERS FOR CERTAIN NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS
Contents
1. The eligibility for the interview waiver
According to the Important Announcement on Waivers of the Interview Requirement for Certain Nonimmigrant Visas webpage by Travel.State.gov., F, M and academic J-1 students under the following category can meet the in-person interview waiver requirements:
J-1 visa applicants/holders under the following category:
- Students
- Professors
- Research Scholars
- Short-terms Scholars
- Specialist
There’s no category for F-1 visa
There’s no category for M-1 visa
According to the above category visa holders…
- Applicants should apply for a visa in their country of nationality or residence
In addition, first F, M and academic J visa applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Applicants should be citizens or nationals of a VWP participating country (Check the following table to see the entire list of VWP participating countries); and
- Applicants should have previously traveled to the U.S. via an ESTA authorization; and
- Applicants should have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility
| Andorra | Hungary | Norway |
| Australia | Iceland | Poland |
| Austria | Ireland | Portugal |
| Belgium | Italy | San Marino |
| Brunei | Japan | Singapore |
| Chile | Latvia | Slovakia |
| Czech Republic | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Denmark | Lithuania | South Korea |
| Estonia | Luxembourg | Spain |
| Finland | Malta | Sweden |
| France | Monaco | Switzerland |
| Germany | Netherlands | Taiwan |
| Greece | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
If the applicant was previously issued any type of visa, he/she needs to meet the following requirement:
- Applicants should have never been refused a visa unless such refusal was overcome or waived; and
- Applicants should have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility;
As you can see, all applicants must not have apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility to be eligible for the in-person interview waiver.
More information on “no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility” will be shared in the next paragraph.
It is worth noting that not all eligible students will automatically get the in-person interview waiver– it is up to the consular officer’s discretion to require the in-person interview or not.
To confirm your eligibility for the in-person interview waiver, you can reach out to your local U.S. embassy.
Embassies and consulates may still require an in-person interview on a case-by-case basis and dependent upon local conditions. We encourage applicants to check embassy and consulate websites for more detailed information about this development, as well as current operating status and services.
EXPANDED INTERVIEW WAIVERS FOR CERTAIN NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS
2. What is "apparent or potential ineligibility?"
Whether you are a current F, M, or J visa holder or a new visa applicant, this interview waiver update says your visa interview cannot be waived if you have “apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility.” One of the federal webpages Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws well outlines what are the example of ineligibilities and below are some:
- who is determined to have a physical or mental disorder that may pose threat to properties or safety of others
- who is a drug abuser or addict
- who has convicted certain crimes
- who has been ellicit traffickers
- who has committed in the United States at any time a serious criminal offense
Again, this list is not the entire list of visa ineligibilities but some of the examples.
If you believe you are eligible for an in-person visa interview waiver, reach out to the local embassy by calling or looking at their websites and ask if your in-person interview can be waived.
"purpose of the interview should be to provide the information that makes Visa Officers easier to make decisions."
3. What to do if you seem to have "apparent or potential ineligibility?"
U.S. visa applicants who seem to have “apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility” might want to seek professional services to get assistance.
This is why SEVIS SAVVY and Argo Visa teamed up to share their expertise as current International Student Advisor and previous Consular Officers.
Just like SEVIS SAVVY which was created by International Student Advisors to deliver accurate F-1 and J-1 student visa regulations and updates based on official and trustworthy sources, Argo Visa was founded by Visa Officers to assist all visa applicants to get through the visa interview successfully.
SEVIS SAVVY and Argo discussed the official partnership to make the one-on-one consultation sessions more affordable for international students. If you would like to get special discounts ($25 off), please click the link here. The original pricing is as below:
30-minute one-on-one ($479)
Perfect for students who applied for visas for the first time and who do not hold potential risks to be denied.
60-minute one-on-one ($789)
Perfect for students whose visas were previously denied and/or who have families and relatives in the U.S. and/or who would like to tailor their visa interview answers.
Visa applicants may think the price is too high- but did you know that the average salary for bachelor’s degree holder in the United States is around $50,000? What is more, the cost of applying for immigrant based visas like permanent residency (green card) and employment based visas (H-1B or O visas) can be more than $1,000.
Therefore, with one time investment, visa applicants can get the right service and save their time to get the visa, start the study in the U.S. and increase their expected earnings upon graduation.
4. Required documents for the visa interview
Listed below is what Travel.state.gov requires F1 visa interview applicants to bring at the interview.
- Valid passport
- Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160)
- SEVIS I-901 fee confirmation page
- 2 Photos (only when you failed to upload photos while completing the DS-160)
- The form I-20
Other than the aforementioned documents, consular officers might ask you to provide additional documents to prove your academic plans, purposes of visit (study), and financial abilities.
- academic related document examples: high school diploma, high school transcript, AND test scores that you submitted to the university like SAT, GRE or GMAT.
- proof that you will leave the country upon the completion of the program: flight tickets. Please see (3) below for more details.
- finance related document examples: bank statement
5. Required documents for the immigration
For students who have obtained the F-1 or academic J-1 visa, now it’s time to gather all the necessary documents to go through immigration. Below is the list from my previous blog post.
- A Form I-20, endorsed for travel and signed by your DSO (If you are a new/initial student, your I-20 will not have a travel endorsement.)
- A current passport valid for at least six months after the date of your reentry or, if you are from one of the countries listed below, a passport that is current through the date of entry
- A valid, current visa or you traveled to the contiguous country or adjacent island for less than thirty days
- Financial information showing proof of necessary funds to cover tuition and living expenses
Additionally, Study in the States advises new students to bring the following additional documents:
- Student and Exchange Visitor Information System I-901 fee receipt
- Acceptance letter
- Financial documents
Students who fail to bring these documents can be issued Form I-515A by the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers. To learn more about the regulations on Form I-515A, click the blog post below.
Hope this helps all international students who plan to apply for a student visa and travel to the U.S. All other updates on the F-1 visa and J-1 visa can be found on the F-1 visa page and J-1 visa page respectively.
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