A long-planned US State Department policy took effect on November 1, 2025, requiring most immigrant-visa applicants to attend interviews only in their country of residence or nationality. For UAE residents, this means future Green-Card hopefuls must schedule appointments at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi or Consulate-General in Dubai rather than at third-country posts such as Ankara or Manama.
The National Visa Center (NVC) is now the sole authority for allocating interview slots, eliminating applicants’ ability to shop around for shorter queues. Limited humanitarian and medical exceptions will be granted, but requests must be routed through the NVC. Existing appointments at other posts will not be rescheduled automatically, leaving many applicants scrambling to rebook.
![New US Rule Forces UAE Immigrant-Visa Applicants to Interview in Country of Residence]()
The change follows September 2025 rules that reinstated in-person interviews for most non-immigrant visas, ending many pandemic-era waivers. Travel advisers warn that UAE residents face longer wait times—currently averaging six months—for immigrant-visa slots in Abu Dhabi. Companies planning intra-company transfers to the United States are urged to budget extra lead time and explore alternatives such as L-1 “blanket” petitions.
For family-based cases, the tighter rules will particularly affect applicants from countries with limited or no US consular services who had relied on Dubai as a convenient venue. Lawyers recommend that such clients pursue document gathering early and stay alert for NVC communications to avoid costly delays.
While the State Department argues the policy standardises security vetting, critics say it will disproportionately burden high-mobility professionals and their families in global hubs like the UAE.
The National Visa Center (NVC) is now the sole authority for allocating interview slots, eliminating applicants’ ability to shop around for shorter queues. Limited humanitarian and medical exceptions will be granted, but requests must be routed through the NVC. Existing appointments at other posts will not be rescheduled automatically, leaving many applicants scrambling to rebook.
The change follows September 2025 rules that reinstated in-person interviews for most non-immigrant visas, ending many pandemic-era waivers. Travel advisers warn that UAE residents face longer wait times—currently averaging six months—for immigrant-visa slots in Abu Dhabi. Companies planning intra-company transfers to the United States are urged to budget extra lead time and explore alternatives such as L-1 “blanket” petitions.
For family-based cases, the tighter rules will particularly affect applicants from countries with limited or no US consular services who had relied on Dubai as a convenient venue. Lawyers recommend that such clients pursue document gathering early and stay alert for NVC communications to avoid costly delays.
While the State Department argues the policy standardises security vetting, critics say it will disproportionately burden high-mobility professionals and their families in global hubs like the UAE.
