The U.S. Department of State announced a new policy today that will require all immigrant visa applicants to be interviewed in their country of residence, effective November 1, 2025. Under the new rule, the National Visa Center (NVC) will schedule all immigrant visa interviews at the consular post in the applicant’s country of residence. Applicants may also request to be interviewed in their country of nationality.
The core of the new policy is the requirement for applicants to interview in the country where they live. This policy will apply to all new immigrant visa cases. For applicants residing in countries where U.S. embassy or consulate operations are suspended or paused, interviews will be directed to specific designated alternate processing posts.
This list includes: Islamabad for residents of Afghanistan (with the exception of Special Immigrant Visas); Warsaw for Belarus and Russia (with some IR-5 visa categories also processed in Almaty and Tashkent); Addis Ababa and Nairobi for Eritrea; Nassau for Haiti; Abu Dhabi, Ankara, and Yerevan for Iran; Tunis for Libya; Abidjan for Niger; Guangzhou for North Korea; Nairobi for both Somalia and South Sudan; Cairo for Sudan; Amman and Beirut (for Palestinians with Syrian travel documents) for Syria; Bogota for Venezuela; Djibouti for Yemen; and Johannesburg for Zimbabwe.
“Effective November 1, 2025, all immigrant visa applicants will be scheduled for their interview in the consular district designated for their country of residence or, alternatively, may apply in their country of nationality if requested, with limited exceptions. Residents of countries where routine visa operations are suspended or paused should apply at a designated alternate processing post, unless the applicant is a national of another country with ongoing operations,” the U.S. Department of State website reads.
The Department of State notes that rare exceptions to this policy may be granted for humanitarian or medical emergencies, or for foreign policy reasons. Immigrant visa appointments already scheduled before November 1, 2025, will generally not be affected, canceled, or rescheduled, according to the Department of State.
According to the Department of State, if an applicant would like to transfer their immigrant visa case to a new consular district after the National Visa Center has scheduled the appointment, the applicant should contact the National Visa Center immediately. The applicant should not contact the consular section directly. Applicants should use the National Visa Center’s Public Inquiry Form.
“If an applicant requests to interview in a location other than the applicant’s assigned consular district or country of nationality, the National Visa Center may request additional information to confirm that location is an applicant’s place of residence, or to confirm whether an exception may be appropriate,” the Department of State further instructs. The new requirements will also apply to applicants in the DV-2026 Diversity Visa program.
This new policy supersedes all previous guidance regarding where immigrant visa interviews may be held. The Department of State encourages all applicants to review the specific requirements and operating statuses of their assigned embassy or consulate on its website.
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Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
