The Trump administration has created major confusion among visa applicants, including H-1B holders, who typically rely on the visa dropbox for renewals. The U.S. government has quietly implemented changes stating that applicants who had up to four years to renew their visas now only have a one-year time limit.
Previously, as long as they had a valid H-1B, they did not need a valid visa stamp in their passport and have 4 years to renew their visa, but now they get only one year.
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Now, applicants can no longer use the dropbox appointment system when renewing their visas in India or other countries.
Instead, they must attend in-person visa interviews. This change is alarming for temporary visa holders transitioning from F-1 to H-1B or other visa categories.
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A recent case shared privately with us involved an anonymous user who went to the VAC in Chennai for a dropbox appointment. To his surprise, his H-1B dropbox appointment was denied. He was informed that he could no longer process his visa status change from F-1 to H-1B through the dropbox system and would need to schedule a biometric and visa interview slot to attend an in-person interview at the embassy.
Many applicants are now facing cancellations of their scheduled dropbox appointments, forcing them to secure in-person interview slots instead. The reduction of the visa renewal period from four years to one year is expected to significantly increase the number of applicants traveling to India, as they will need to renew their visas more frequently.
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This sudden change has created chaos. Those planning to travel to India for visa renewal must now plan well in advance to secure an appointment slot. Additionally, they should be prepared for extended wait times, as the embassy typically takes at least three weeks to return passports, depending on the current backlog.
Those who already have confirmed dropbox appointments must now cancel their existing appointments and book a consular interview appointment instead. This is currently being communicated unofficially, but applicants are hoping for official, detailed guidelines on how to plan their travel and visa renewal appointments moving forward.
