NewsBriefs - Recent Updates & Announcements
Revision in Consular Exchange Rates in India
Posted: June 18, 2013With effect from today, June 18, 2013, the U.S. consular exchange rate has been adjusted to INR 58 to one US$. Previously, the consular exchange rate was INR 57 to one US$.
This revision in the exchange rate will affect the INR equivalent for all application fees paid on or after June 18, 2013, for all non-immigrant and immigrant visas, and for US citizenship services. Effectively, the new non-immigrant visa application fee is and INR 9,280 (equivalent to USD $160 for non-petition-based visa categories) and INR 11,020 (equivalent to USD $190 for petition-based visa categories).
Applicants who paid the fees up to June 17, 2013 can use the respective AXIS, CITI or HDFC bank receipts within one year from the date of purchase of the receipts.
This update can be found at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-niv-visafeeinfo.asp.
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Draft Form DS-160 Created prior to June 1, 2013 may not be available after June 08, 2013
Posted: June 3, 2013U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants, applying from a U.S. Embassy / Consulate abroad, will have to complete the nonimmigrant visa application (Form DS-160) by visiting https://ceac.state.gov/. After entering all required information, and until the applicant uses the “sign and submit” option, s/he generally will be able to retrieve the draft application from the CEAC website. A recent update on the CEAC website indicates that the application system will be down for maintenance on June 8, 2013 for about 12 hours. Applicants will not be able to create or retrieve Form DS-160s during this time. The update also indicates that draft applications created prior to June 1, 2013 may not be available when the maintenance process is complete. It is important for applicants to save the data file (.dat format) by choosing the "Save Application to File" option while completing the Form DS-160. S/he will be able to upload this information from the .dat file at a later date. This update is available here.
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Update on Panel Physicians in India for U.S. Immigrant Visa Applicants
Posted: June 3, 2013Immigrant visa applicants living outside the United States are required to undergo a medical examination by an approved panel physician, normally as part of their visa interview at the U.S. Embasssy / Consulate in the applicant's country of residence. There are some recent changes in the approved list of physicians in India. More information on this is available here.
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Bengaluru Outreach Program on June 11 – 13, 2013
Posted: June 3, 2013Regular 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 June 11, 12, and 13, 2013.
More information on the services offered and procedure to schedule an appointment can be found here.
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Same-Day Biometrics and Visa Interview Introduced on Pilot Basis at U.S. Consulate, Chennai, for Blanket L-1 Visas
Posted: May 6, 2013U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants, applying from India, may be aware that the online scheduling system for visa interviews - using http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/index.html - only permits applicants to choose a document pickup location for return of documents/passport from the Consulate, following the interview.
However, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India provide a special counter where the applicant(s) can arrange for the return of documents/passport(s). Applicants can submit their home-delivery address at this counter, and if Blue Dart couriers serve the address provided, the passport will be returned by this method. If not, the applicant(s) can arrange to pick up his/her documents/passport at the nearest OFC. In both cases, the fee is INR 300 per passport. This facility is very useful for applicants living in cities and towns some distance away from the Offsite Facilitating Centre (OFC).
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Optional Delivery of Passport at Preferred Address After the Visa Interview
Posted: May 6, 2013Regular readers of MurthyIndiaBulletin and MurthyIndiaDotCom are aware that a new visa application procedure has been in place in India since September 26, 2012. Under the new procedure, applicants requiring a personal interview must schedule two appointments – one with the Offsite Facilitating Centre (OFC) to complete biometrics, the other with the U.S. Embassy / Consulate for the actual visa interview. Until recently, the appointment with the OFC had to be scheduled at least one working day prior to the visa interview.
On March 11, 2013, the U.S. Consulate, Chennai, instituted a pilot program that allows "Blanket L" applicants to schedule same-day appointments for both biometrics and visa interviews. Applicants seeking same-day appointments should schedule the OFC interview between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST), and schedule the consular interview after 10 a.m. IST, leaving at least two hours between the two appointments.
More information can be found here: (http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/visas.html). This is a welcome change and will be especially helpful to applicants traveling from outside Chennai. If the new system works well, we expect it soon will be extended to all categories of U.S. nonimmigrant visas, and to other U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India.
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Situations Where Someone Can Accompany Non-Immigrant Visa Applicant(s)
Posted: April 1, 2013We at Murthy Immigration Services often are asked who may accompany visa applicant(s) for the visa interview. The answer is found on the instructions page of every visa appointment letter, clearly stating that a responsible adult may accompany a minor applicant who is younger than age 16. Similarly, applicants over 60, who have a physical disability or hearing impairment, may be accompanied by their caretaker or interpreter. Although this information is provided in visa appointment letters, it is not available on websites of the U.S. Embassy or Consulates, or on www.usatraveldocs.com/in. Applicants with physical disability or hearing impairment must obtain prior permission to bring a caretaker or interpreter to the visa interview.
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The Stars and Stripes Lounge Service Back in Mumbai
Posted: April 1, 2013Regular readers of MurthyIndiaBulletin, and visitors to MurthyIndiaDOTCom, may be aware that the U.S. Embassy, and most U.S. Consulates in India, once provided Stars and Stripes Lounge services at their Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) locations. However, when the U.S. Embassy/Consulates partnered with ustraveldocs in September 2012, this facility was no-longer available. Visa applicants in Mumbai may be happy to know that the Stars and Stripes Lounge has been reinstated there. For a fee of INR 400 (for persons aged 5 years and above), this optional facility allows applicants and their accompanying friends and relatives to wait in the comfort of an air-conditioned waiting hall. It also provides coach transfer to and from the Consulate, a place to store valuables, and complimentary, tea, coffee, and sandwiches. More information is available here.
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New Feature for Travel Coordinators
Posted: March 4, 2013The U.S. Visa Application Center in India has launched a new feature for travel coordinators who need to schedule appointments for multiple travelers. Regular readers of MurthyIndiaDotCom and MurthyIndiaBulletin may be aware that, under the new visa application system introduced in September 2012, applicants must create a profile at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in in order to schedule an appointment.
Under the new system, a travel coordinator can schedule visa appointments for several different travellers without having to create multiple profile names and keep track of multiple passwords. Instead, once a profile is created, the travel coordinator can simply send a blank eMail to travel-coordinator@ustraveldocs.com with his/her user ID, and a coordinator profile will be automatically enabled with a new panel and menu options. S/he will have to send another blank eMail to travel-coordinator@ustraveldocs.com to toggle to the profile of an individual user, if s/he has to schedule an interview for him/herself.
This is welcome relief both for tour operators and the travel desks of large companies that handle multiple visa appointments. Detailed information on this feature can be found here.
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New USCIS Immigrant Visa Fee Now In Effect
Posted: March 4, 2013Effective February 1, 2013, all applicants seeking a U.S. immigrant visa will have to pay an additional fee of US$ 165, which must be paid online after approval of the immigrant visa and before travel to the United States. The following immigrants are exempt from this fee:
- Prospective adoptive parents whose child is entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process;
- Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government;
- Returning residents, and
- Persons entering the U.S. on K visa.
- This update and more detailed information can be found here.
Bengaluru Outreach Program on March 19, 20 and 21, 2013
Posted: March 4, 2013Regular 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 prior confirmed appointments:
- U.S. Passport renewals for minors;
- Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA);
- First-time passport applications for minors; and
- Notary Services.
U.S. citizens requiring any of these services may seek an appointment by writing to the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, at chennaicsoutreach@state.gov, providing the name of the applicant and type of service required. More information on American Citizenship Services and the documentary requirements can be obtained from the consular website. American Citizens can continue to email chennaics@state.gov with other enquires or concerns. This update can be found on the U.S. Consulate Chennai’s website.
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U.S. Visa Application Status May be Checked Online
Posted: February 4, 2013Both 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 feature to be very useful, especially when the decision on the visa application is pending due to administrative process under section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Administrative process generally refers to a background check or the additional investigation the consulate may have to undertake prior to making a final decision on an application for visa. In the case of immigrant visas, applicants can now track progress of their application from the National Visa Center (NVC) to the Embassy / Consulate where the final visa interview is held.
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U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants from India can now Update DS-160 Information After Scheduling Visa Interview
Posted: February 4, 2013Regular 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 original form, the system did not allow an applicant to modify the confirmation code provided by the Consular Electronic Application Center (i.e., the CEAC code). Readers may be aware that this CEAC confirmation code is generated as evidence of submission of the Form DS160 online. Recently, the system has been changed to permit primary applicant(s) to provide a new CEAC confirmation code, generated by submitting a new Form DS160.
This modification can be effected only up to midnight preceding the biometrics appointment. The code cannot be modified for any dependents that were added to the primary applicant's profile. For example, if a husband, wife, and child apply for a B-2 visa as a family, and the father is the primary applicant and adds the wife and child to his CEAC profile as dependents, the CEAC confirmation code can be modified only for the father in this example. An applicant may need to modify the confirmation code if s/he discovers any mistake on the Form DS-160 after “Signing and Submitting” the same.
Though this feature is available, it is important for U.S. visa applicants to spend sufficient time and verify that all information presented is accurate, prior to submission of Form DS-160. This will avoid multiple form DS-160s with conflicting information.
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Nonimmigrant Visa Application, DS-160: Photo of Applicant Not Needed For Online Filing
Posted: January 7, 2013From 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 completion of the DS-160, the words "Photo will be take at the ASC" will appear in place of the photo. A digital photo of the applicant will be taken at the Offsite Facilitating Center (OFC) -- also known as the Application Service Center (ASC) -- during the OFC biometrics appointment. This significantly reduces the effort and expense of the visa applicant.
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Biometrics at Any Offsite Facilitating Center (OFC) for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
Posted: January 7, 2013With 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, are likewise exempt from the fingerprinting requirement. However, personal employees, attendants and servants of A visa holders (A-3 visa applicants) and personal employees, attendants and servants of G visa holders (G-5 applicants) are still required to provide their fingerprints at an OFC.
When this new process was introduced, applicants could get their biometrics done only at the OFC in the same city as the consulate where the visa interview was to be conducted. With the recent change, however, a nonimmigrant visa applicant(s) can complete this process at any of 5 OFCs in India. The list of OFCs and their working hours/holidays can be obtained here.
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Visa and Immigration Information Sharing Agreement Between USA and Canada
Posted: January 7, 2013On 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 agreement, the U.S. and Canada propose to share biographic data as well as information on prior visa refusals and removal from other countries. By 2014, the countries are expected to share biometrics data of visa applicants as well. More information on this can be found here.
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