Indian families applying for U.S. nonimmigrant visas are being forced to undergo tougher interviews following changes made by the U.S. Department of State.
Under the new policy, applicants who had previously had age-based interview exemptions, including those with children under 14, would have to go in person for an interview with a consular officer. That means parents planning a U.S. visa application for their children should no longer assume a young child or an infant can skip the interview.
The policy change is particularly significant for families traveling with young children because previously procedures were considerably more flexible. Before the change, children under 14 in India were generally not required to attend nonimmigrant visa interviews in person and parents or legal guardians could do so for them. This picture was reflected in the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai information. But the U.S. Department of State then modified the interview waiver process and dropped the broad age-based exemption.
The current Department of State guidance says that on October 1, 2025, all nonimmigrant visa applicants (under 14 years of age and over 79 years of age) will require an interview by a consular officer. There are some exceptions, including certain diplomatic and official visa categories and certain applicants who have applied for qualified B-1, B-2 or B1/B2 visas within 12 months of the last visa's expiry (if they meet certain criteria). Even if applicants receive an interview waiver, they may still be asked to attend an interview at the discretion of a consular officer.
For Indian parents, the practical impact is that a child's age alone shouldn't be considered as a reason to leave the child at home when an in-person interview is required. Families need to carefully read the appointment instructions associated with their application and the guidance issued by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where the interview is scheduled. This is especially important for parents applying for visas for infants and newborns, since a newborn is still an individual visa applicant when a visa is required for travel.
The new rules also underscore the importance of distinguishing between a visa application and the interview process. A child may need a separate visa application, even though a parent fills out the application on the child’s behalf.
A very young applicant does not automatically mean the application is exempted from all requirements. Depending on the visa type and situation, applicants may also have documentation, photograph, and appointment requirements that families need to watch out for before entering.
There is also a difference between nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. The Department of State’s general immigrant visa guidance currently says that family members under 14 who are immigrating with the principal applicant are generally not required to attend the immigrant visa interview, though a family member of any age with their own petition or case number may have to attend. So the statement that every minor child should attend should not be applied to every type of U.S. visa.
In addition to document requirements for immigrant visa applicants in India, U.S. consular instructions also contain specific requirements for documents. The New Delhi immigrant-visa checklist, for example, has documents such as passports, photographs, DS-260 confirmation pages, and relevant civil documents for the application. The guidance also emphasizes that birth certificates and other documentation for the interview must be properly prepared.
The changes are part of a broader tightening of the U.S. nonimmigrant visa interview-waiver system. The Department of State has also instructed nonimmigrant applicants to generally schedule interviews in their country of nationality or residence, rather than regularly seeking appointments in third countries.
For Indian applicants, this means families should pay close attention not only to whether an interview is required but to where the application should be processed.
Parents traveling with babies may have to plan their appointment carefully because consular facilities are very secure and visitors have certain restrictions on what they can bring in. Special-needs visitors can bring one person to assist when the applicant is a minor child, and other accompanying-person rules may vary with the situation and location of the visit, according to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
But the biggest lesson for Indian families is that age-based assumptions about U.S. visa interviews are no longer reliable. A child under 14, including an infant, may usually need an in-person interview for a nonimmigrant visa unless the applicant falls within one of the limited waiver categories.
Also, immigrant visa rules can be different, so parents need to know which visa category they are applying for and how they will be transported. The latest official guidance from the U.S. Department of State and the relevant U.S. Embassy or Consulate is still important as individual cases may have different requirements.
