Regular readers of MurthyIndiaDotCom are aware that the U.S. Citizenship Services Section of the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, periodically provides outreach services at Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), to help U.S. citizens. The next outreach program at Bengaluru is scheduled for March 19, 20, and 21, 2013. U.S. citizens can avail themselves of the following services with…

Both U.S. immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants can now check the status of their applications online at the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website (https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC/). The hyperlink to verify the status of application(s) was available when the new visa application system was introduced in 2012, but this particular feature was not functional until recently. We expect this…

Regular readers of MurthyIndiaBulletin are aware that the new visa application system, introduced in India in September 2012, requires nonimmigrant visa applicants to create a profile at www.ustraveldoc.com/in after completion of Form DS-160, and to generate the payment code to remit the visa application fee. Following this, they must schedule the visa interview. In its…

From time to time, we inform our readers about changes in the nonimmigrant visa application process in India. One such change, introduced in November 2012, is that the nonimmigrant visa application (Form DS-160), no longer requires the applicant to upload his/her digital photograph when completing the form online. Those filing online will notice that, upon…

With the introduction of new nonimmigrant visa process in India, effective September 26, 2012, most nonimmigrant visa applicants will be fingerprinted at an OFC using an ink-free digital fingerprint scan. Children under 14 years and elders over 79 years of age are not required to provide their fingerprints. Some applicants, like officials on government business,…

On December 13, 2012, the United States and Canada signed an agreement to share visa and immigration information of third-country nationals who apply for visas or travel permits for either country. This agreement is intended to increase the safety and security of the U.S. and Canada, and to facilitate legitimate travel and business. Under the…

With effect from today, December 3, 2012, the U.S. consular exchange rate has been adjusted to INR 57 to one US$. Previously, the consular exchange rate was INR 55 to one US$. This revision in the exchange rate will affect the INR equivalent for all application fees paid on or after December 3, 2012, for…

We have reported on IWP in our earlier article / news brief which can be found here. In addition to the visa categories listed in the earlier article, now, U.S. non-immigrant visa applicants seeking to renew their H and L visas could avail this facility, if they continue to work for the same petitioner under the…

Regular visitors to MurthyIndiaDotCom and subscribers to the MurthyIndiaBulletin are aware that the Visa Interview Waiver Program (IWP) was introduced in March 2012 by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate(s) in India. There have been some changes in the eligibility criteria recently. Please visit here for a detailed report.

The Indian Rupee has gained steadily for the past few weeks and on account of this, the U.S. consular exchange rate has been adjusted to INR 55 to one US$ with effect from Tuesday, October 8, 2012. Previously, this was INR 58 to one US$. This revision in the exchange rate will affect the INR…