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U.S. Embassy Announces New Systems For Visa Applicants
Changes in the visa appointment modification system and the
facility to schedule an emergency appointment was reported to
MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers on August 26,
2005 in our article entitled,
NIV Appointment Procedures Update at Certain Consulates in India,
and subsequently updated on September 16, 2005 in our article
from Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt Ltd, entitled
Update on Emergency Appointments at the U.S. Consulate, Chennai.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi announced September 20, 2005 that
a new system is put in place to facilitate visa appointments for
applicants across India and that VFS, an organization that is
presently serving visa applicants falling under the Mumbai
Consular District, will extend their services to visa applicants
across India. This will be done in association with HDFC Bank.
The U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulates General in Mumbai, Chennai,
and Calcutta have entered into a new agreement with VFS to
provide visa applicants throughout India with information,
appointments, and courier services. VFS, which is currently
offering a similar service for the Mumbai consular district,
will become the sole provider of visa services to all applicants
for U.S. visas in India as of October 3, 2005.
Locations of VFS offices are
available. The new cost for U.S. visa-related services in India
will decrease to Rs. 276 (including taxes) per applicant for
appointments booked starting October 3, for online or phone-in
information, assistance in making appointments, and for the
return-by-courier of passports with new visas.
Visa Application Fee to be Paid in Advance
In an effort to filter genuine applicants the new visa service
system will require each applicant to pay the standard
nonimmigrant visa application fee of $100 (Rs. 4,400 at the
current exchange rate)
BEFORE
booking an appointment. The visa application fee is
nonrefundable and
may not be transferred to any other visa applicant,
except with special permission from the Embassy.
To facilitate this program,
the Embassy has engaged Bank of America through its partner
bank, HDFC Bank. The visa application fee, which must be paid
before making an appointment, may only be paid at a
designated branch of HDFC Bank. Other
branches of HDFC Bank will not be able to accept payment. The
designated HDFC Bank branches will begin accepting payments as
of October 3, 2005. The banks will provide a bar code and, using
this, applicants can schedule appointments with the appropriate
consulates.
Visa Application Forms to be Completed Online
Under the new system,
applicants will be asked to complete their visa forms online
using an interactive website that assists applicants in avoiding
errors in data entry. Applicants with confirmed appointments
will also get PIN numbers, giving them access to 10 minutes of
“free-talk time” by calling a national toll-free number. This
talk time can be used to inquire about rules and regulations,
and also to track return passport delivery. For the time being,
the toll-free number is accessible from MTNL and BSNL lines
only.
The announcement further
indicates that applicants will have greater access to
over-the-counter information and assistance. U.S. Visa
Application Centers are being opened at new locations in Punjab
at Jalandhar and Chandigarh, in Andhra Pradesh at Vijaywada, and
in Kerala at Cochin.
The new visa service system,
which incorporates the prepayment of the nonrefundable,
nontransferable visa application fee, is expected to decrease
the time visa applicants must wait for their interviews by
encouraging the scheduling of appointments only by those
applicants who actually will appear for their interviews.
Procedure for
Existing Appointments
Applicants who already have
appointments scheduled through TT Services (TTS) in New Delhi,
Chennai, and Calcutta or VFS in Mumbai will NOT be impacted by
these changes. Appointments can continue to be made through TTS
until September 30, 2005. All appointments made through TTS and
under the old VFS system through September 30 will be honored.
The visa application fees for appointments made with TTS should
still be paid through a bank draft, as is the current practice.
TTS Customers to Reconfirm Appointments
According to the U.S. Embassy, TTS customers will soon be asked
to reconfirm their appointments. As this reconfirmation process
progresses it is anticipated that most TTS appointment holders
will be able to move their appointment times forward, although
it may be several weeks before earlier appointments become
widely available.
TTS
has served visa applicants since 2000. The present arrangement
with VFS is for a period of 3 years. The VFS WebSite <http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/>
announces that their centers in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Pune will
be closed on September 29 and 30 due to this transit, but is and
expected to be online again from October 1, 2005.
We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy understand the sensitive
nature of these changes and their impact on our Indian clients
as well as others in India and the United States. We will
further update our readers as information on the new procedures
is revealed.
©
MurthyIndiaDotCom
& Murthy Immigration Services
Pvt. Ltd.
2004
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