The Economic and Efficiency Benefits of
Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Waivers Are Worth Preserving

Recent declines in legal immigration have had negative impacts on the U.S. economy, including contributing to persistent labor shortages that drive inflation, according to FWD.us analysis. Restoring immigration to prepandemic levels (at the very least) is an important and necessary step to drive down inflation and fill millions of open jobs in critical industries.

One common-sense solution is to reduce processing backlogs that delay immigrants from coming or returning to the U.S. to work, study, or visit. The State Department can reduce backlogs by continuing to exempt certain eligible nonimmigrant visa applicants² from in-person interviews.¹

Federal law requires nonimmigrant visa applicants to complete an in-person interview at a consulate or embassy before receiving a visa; however, the law also allows the Secretary of State to authorize waivers in certain circumstances. The State Department expanded authorization for consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain eligible applicants in 2020, and has since extended that authorization through the end of 2023. The waivers have helped reduce wait times at embassies and consulates; nearly half of the seven million nonimmigrant visas issued in FY 2022, including both employment-and nonemployment-based, involved interview waivers. Making the interview waivers permanent would significantly reduce the interview workload each year, potentially saving the government millions of dollars annually.

Federal law requires nonimmigrant visa applicants to complete an in-person interview at a consulate or embassy before receiving a visa; however, the law also allows the Secretary of State to authorize waivers in certain circumstances. The State Department first expanded authorization for consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain eligible applicants in 2020, and has since extended that authorization through the end of 2023. The waivers have helped reduce wait times at embassies and consulates; nearly half of the seven million nonimmigrant visas issued in FY 2022, including both employment-and non-employment-based, involved interview waivers. Making the interview waivers permanent would significantly reduce the interview workload each year, potentially saving the government millions of dollars annually.

The State Department faces extraordinary processing backlogs that have dramatically extended wait times, with some visa applicants waiting more than a year for an appointment at a consulate. Many applicants have already been working or studying in the U.S. for some time, and simply need to renew their visas. These wait times can significantly affect legal immigration flows by forcing individuals—including international students, highly skilled workers, and tourist and business visitors—to wait for many months before they can (re)enter the U.S. This is particularly harmful for visa categories like H-1 and H-2, which are supposed to help address labor shortages by allowing U.S. employers to quickly hire skilled workers when critically needed.

The waivers help reduce backlogs and wait times in countries that process large numbers of applications for certain visa categories, like India, which is by far the leading country of origin for highly skilled H-1B visa holders, and second for international students. For example, individuals applying for an H-1B visa at the consulate in Chennai, India, face wait times of 150 days if they are required to report for an in-person interview. International students seeking an F-1 visa are waiting more than three weeks, and B-1/B-2 tourist and business visitors are waiting nearly one year, according to the State Department website.