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F1 visa appointment slots are finally opening up
For a long stretch of time, F1 visa appointment slots were simply not available. None. If you were trying to book an interview, you were staring at empty calendars with no end in sight. That situation has changed significantly in October. Slots are now being released more frequently — there was a batch released about ten days ago, another set came through just recently, and I have been able to book appointments for several of my own clients. That is a meaningful shift from where things stood even a month ago.
What about refusal slots?
Refusal appointments — the slots reserved for applicants who had a prior visa refusal — are also starting to come through. Right now, refusal slots are available for people who had a rejection up to December 2024. Hopefully over the next two months we will see more of these slots get released. If you had a refusal and have been waiting, keep checking. Things are moving.
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Book a Mock InterviewThe 100K H1B fee does not apply to students already in the US
If you are planning to study in the US and then find a job, the H1B visa is likely on your radar. You may have heard about the 100K fee — a rule that would require your employer to pay roughly one lakh rupees, or close to 90 lakhs, to sponsor you on an H1B. That was a real source of anxiety for a lot of students. Even if you landed a job offer, would your employer actually be willing to pay that amount? It was a fair concern.
The latest update from USCIS clarifies that this 100K fee is not applicable to students who are already inside the United States. So if you enter the US on an F1 visa, complete your studies, get selected in the H1B lottery, and change your status from F1 to H1B — your employer does not have to pay that fee. This is a significant relief, and it removes one of the biggest worries students had about whether their job offer would actually convert into a working visa.
What this means if you are planning to study in the US
2025 was genuinely one of the worst years for student visas in recent times. I will not sugarcoat that. But the direction things are moving in right now is encouraging. Slots are coming through more regularly, the post-study work pathway is less financially burdensome for employers, and there is reason to feel more optimistic about what 2026 will look like. If you need help with any part of your F1 journey — whether that is booking an appointment, filling out your DS-160, or preparing for your interview — feel free to reach out. I am here to help.
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