Subscribers and regular visitors to MurthyIndiaDotCom may be aware of the eligibility and process involved for Dropbox / Interview Waiver Program (IWP) for nonimmigrant visa applicants in India.

Until recently, in order to comply with the interview waiver checklist, a person seeking to renew H or L visa or the respective dependent(s) visa had to submit only a copy of the current valid I-797 and the passport with the most recent visa. However, we have recently noticed that the visa application center in Chennai is requiring a copy of the I-797 approval notice immediately preceding the current I-797 be submitted from the primary applicant. We have confirmed requirement of this document with the visa application center over phone. This additional requirement is not updated on the checklist and there are no relevant updates on the consular posts either. To avoid delay, we strongly recommend that all eligible H/L visa renewal applicants carry a copy of the I-797 approval notice of the principal H/L holder that immediately precedes the current I-797 at the time of renewing the visa.

We will continue to bring any updates on this important topic.