{"id":25223,"date":"2025-08-26T20:34:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T20:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/international.northeastern.edu\/ogs\/?p=25223"},"modified":"2025-08-26T20:34:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T20:34:25","slug":"changes-to-visa-interview-waiver-policy-for-f-j-visa-renewal-applicants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/international.northeastern.edu\/ogs\/changes-to-visa-interview-waiver-policy-for-f-j-visa-renewal-applicants\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes to Visa Interview Waiver Policy for F\/J Visa Renewal Applicants"},"content":{"rendered":"<b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Effective September 2, 2025, the <\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/News\/visas-news\/interview-waiver-update-july-25-2025.html\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">U.S. Department of State<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> will require that all F-1 and J-1 students and scholars, including their F-2 or J-2 dependents, attend in-person interviews at U.S. Embassies or Consulates abroad when applying to renew their visas.<\/span><\/b> <span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">This change marks an end to broader flexibility for interview waivers that were provided to international students, scholars, and their dependents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This updated policy may increase wait times for visa renewal processing. Students, scholars, and their dependents should plan accordingly when applying for visa renewals outside the U.S.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As a reminder<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, F-1\/J-1 non-immigrant students and scholars and their F-2\/J-2 dependents may remain in the U.S. after their F or J visa has expired, as long as their I-20\/DS-2019 remains valid and they continue to maintain their nonimmigrant status<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. OGS advises that students and scholars <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">do not travel solely for the purpose of visa renewal<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> as delays in returning to the U.S. can impact your ability to maintain your F\/J non-immigrant status, which requires on-ground, full-time enrollment for students, and in-person engagement in your research or teaching as a scholar.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">For more information on the updated policy on visa interview waiver eligibility, please the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/News\/visas-news\/interview-waiver-update-july-25-2025.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">U.S. Department of State announcement<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Effective September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of State will require that all F-1 and J-1 students and scholars, including their F-2 or J-2 dependents, attend in-person interviews at U.S&#8230;.  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/international.northeastern.edu\/ogs\/changes-to-visa-interview-waiver-policy-for-f-j-visa-renewal-applicants\/\" title=\"Read Changes to Visa Interview Waiver Policy for F\/J Visa Renewal Applicants\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-updates"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Changes to Visa Interview Waiver Policy for F\/J Visa Renewal Applicants - Office of Global Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/international.northeastern.edu\/ogs\/changes-to-visa-interview-waiver-policy-for-f-j-visa-renewal-applicants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Changes to Visa Interview Waiver Policy for F\/J Visa Renewal Applicants - Office of Global Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Effective September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of State will require that all F-1 and J-1 students and scholars, including their F-2 or J-2 dependents, attend in-person interviews at U.S.... 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