Most of you know that the US Department of State has updated its guidance and extended the US Visa interview waiver(aka Dropbox) options for non-immigrant visa applicants for 2024 and beyond if they meet specific criteria. The new guidance was effective from January 1st, 2024.
As part of the above guidance, the US Visa Appointment Booking system is updated with a new set of questions based on the updated guidance. In this article, we will review those questions, with screenshots of the same, and give more details on how they work in the system.
If you do know the exact details of how the US Visa interview waiver options would work with the new guidance for 2024 and beyond, you must read the article: US Visa Interview Waiver Extended for 2024 & beyond
New Questions added for US Visa Interview Waiver Eligibility Check
Like before, after you create an account with the US Visa online appointment booking system, it will take you through a set of questions to verify your Dropbox or interview waiver eligibility.
Below are the new questions and how the flow works with the new visa interview waiver questionnaire in the US Visa online appointment booking system for India at USVisaScheduling.com These questions may look different in other countries
New Question 1: Checking Nationality & Residence
The first question that any user would get is to check if the applicant is a citizen of that country or a lawful resident. They want to ensure you meet the first essential criteria to be eligible for an interview waiver. This question is new and was not present in the previous Dropbox eligibility criteria wizard.
On the USVisaScheduling.com website for booking appointments in India, the exact question reads, “Are you a citizen of India or a lawful resident of India?“
Below is the screenshot of the question as it looks in the online appointment booking system
If the applicant answers yes to the above, then it takes you to the next question that checks their previous US Visa issuance details
New Question: Check Previous US Visa Issuance (except B1/B2, B1 or B2)
The other main criterion of the new guidance is to have a previously issued US Visa other than B1/B2 or B2 Visa. This question comes right after the above question.
The question on USVisaScheduling.com reads, “Do you have a previous U.S. visa in any visa class (except B1/B2, B1 or B2) issued on or after your 14th birthday?“, and looks like this in the below screenshot online.
This is a new question as well as they have added an explicit clause in the parenthesis asking that the previously issued visa must be other than visitor (B2) or business visa (B1/B2, B1)
If the applicant answers yes to the above, the system will ask subsequent questions about whether the visa is valid or not. The exact question reads, “Is your prior visa still valid?“
If you answer “No” to the above, this is when you get the subsequent question on expiry in the past 48 months question.
New Question: Check if the previous Visa Expired within the last 48 months
One of the other main criteria is to have your previous US visa expired within the last 48 months. This question is related to that. The exact question reads, “Did your previous visa (except B1/B2, B1 or B2) expire within the last 48 months?” and looks like it in the screenshot below.
This is a new question; they ask about the 48-month expiration and highlight that it cannot be B1/B2, B1, or B2. This applies to anyone applying for US visa stamping in a category other than B1/B2, B1 or B2. Also, the question clarifies that you should submit documents at least seven days before you hit the 48-month expiration.
After this, you would get a general requirement question that used to be asked before as well, and it reads, “Was your most recent U.S. visa lost, stolen, canceled, revoked, or marked CWOP?” This is an existing question and nothing has changed here. You can read more on CWOP at US Visa Cancelled without Prejudice (CWOP).
If you answer ‘No’ to the above, you will get the subsequent question asking about previous refusals of your visa.
New Question: Ask about Visa Refusals in last 48 months
One of the mandatory requirements from the new guidance is not to have a US Visa rejection in the past and, if they had it they should have overcome it with an approval.
The exact question reads “Have you been refused a U.S. visa within the last 48 months?“, and looks like in the below screenshot. This is a new question.
If the user answers “No” to the above, it will give a decision saying you are eligible for interview waiver. But, if you answer “Yes”, you will be asked another question related to the refusal.
New Question: Ask if the Visa Refusals was later overcome
One of the requirements for the visa interview waiver is to overcome previous visa refusal with approval. The system asks a question related to the same.
The exact question reads, “Did your most recent application result in you being issued the visa?“, and looks like in the screenshot below. This is a new question as well.
If you answer “Yes”, to the above, you would get a confirmation saying you are eligible for dropbox. If not, you would not be eligible for dropbox.
If you qualify for the interview waiver (Dropbox), you would get a confirmation that exactly reads “Congratulations! You qualify for the Interview Waiver. You will need to schedule an appointment to visit a document drop-off location to submit your documents…” and looks like in the below screenshot.
That’s it, folks; these are the new questions added and what the overall flow looks like. Overall, this is a welcome change for many applicants, who are already in the US on a visa other than B1/B2 and looking for visa stamping. This will help many F1 international students, J1 applicants, H4 or L2 Dependents, and L1 applicants.
What do you think of the new questions? Share your feedback in the comments section below.
Hello,
My spouse has a F1 Visa stamp which got expired on July 2024 and she has an upcoming H1B visa drop box appointment on Mar 2025. I am wondering if she is still eligible for interview waiver as there is a visa class change from F1 to H1B, or will she come under the 48 months expiry condition. Kindly suggest?
Hi,
I have scheduled a B1/B2 visa dropbox appointment for my parents. However, they do not have any prior visa of other classes except B1/B2. Their current B1/B2 visa will expire in May 2025. I do not remember whether I answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the question ‘if you have a prior US visa’ for interview waiver eligibility. I am also not sure if that question still says ‘if you have a prior US visa (except B1/B2)’ or that has been changed. After answering the questions, I saw the ‘Congratulations’ note for being eligible for interview waiver. Now, I have paid the MRV fee and also scheduled the appointment. I am looking for advice if I actually did the mistake and if so, is there a chance to correct it? Looking for help please. Thanks.