Washington, Feb 14: The wait for U.S. visa renewals is set to become even longer. The U.S. has changed the eligibility criteria for the Dropbox system, which allows the renewal of non-immigrant visas like H-1B, B1, and B2 without a personal interview. Previously, visas that expired within 12 months could be renewed under the same category through Dropbox. However, during COVID-19, the waiting period increased, leading to an extension of this limit to 48 months. This allowed H-1B, B1 (business), B2 (tourist), and L-1 visa holders to renew their visas through Dropbox without attending an interview at a U.S. consulate, even if their visa had expired for up to four years.

Now, this policy has been changed again, reducing the eligibility period back to 12 months, as it was before COVID-19. Due to this change, non-immigrant visa holders whose visas have expired for more than 12 months will now have to attend an interview at a U.S. consulate to renew their visas. This will further delay the visa renewal process.This new policy has already come into effect, making visa renewals more time-consuming for those whose visas expired beyond the new 12-month limit.