The United States now requires non-immigrant visa interviews to be scheduled only in the applicant’s country of citizenship or legal residence. For Indian travelers, this closes the long-used practice of seeking earlier interview slots in third countries and affects corporate, student and premium-leisure segments that depend on predictable processing windows.

Travel-management companies should respond with clear guidance. Move every applicant back to India-based appointment centers, update advisory notes and remove any third-country options from client playbooks. Build realistic lead times into travel calendars and discourage speculative ticketing before interview confirmation. Explain that city-wise wait times can vary and that plan-to-fly dates must reflect local slot availability.

Corporate mobility teams should recheck policy language around refundable bookings and change fees. Choose fare families with a one-time date-change waiver or low-change penalty, and prioritize hotel rates with flexible cancellation. For urgent travel, advise stakeholders to separate mission-critical meetings from discretionary add-ons, so that any reschedule affects fewer components of the trip.

Student and exchange travelers will need early DS-160 completion, document readiness and batch scheduling. Education agents can run weekly updates to parents on probable timelines and should discourage travel to alternate countries for interviews. Clarity on fees, reschedule rules and expected turnarounds will reduce friction and preserve trust.

Leisure operators should protect margins by offering visa-first itineraries, where ground services are placed on hold but not prepaid until interview confirmation lands. Where clients insist on locking dates, use written disclaimers that outline the risk of delays and the cost of changes. Align travel-insurance offerings with visa-related date-change needs to soften the financial impact.

Communication is the core task for the trade. Publish easy-to-read guidance, share city-level snapshots twice a week and maintain a single point-of-contact for escalations. Train front-line teams to set expectations without over-promising and to escalate complex cases early. With process discipline, Indian sellers can keep programs on track, reduce last-minute losses and guide travelers through the new interview-location rule with confidence.

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