In May 2015, we had reported that India changed “Tourist Visa on Arrival” to “e-Tourist Visa” to avoid confusion. Following this, India has been working actively to increase the number of countries covered under this strategy. Effective February 26, 2016, India added 37 more countries to the original list of 113 countries. The list of…

An update on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection site indicates that effective November 2016, Chinese nationals holding a 10 year B-1/B-2, B-1, or B-2 visa on their “Peoples Republic of China” passport will have to update their biographic information once in every two years using the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS). Travelers using other…

We had earlier reported that the consular exchange rate was increased from ₹68 to one US$ to ₹70 to one US$, with effect from Thursday, February 18, 2016. The consular exchange rate has been rolled back to ₹68 to one US$ with effect from March 22, 2016. This revision in exchange rate will affect the…

With effect from Thursday, February 18, 2016 the U.S. consular exchange rate is adjusted to ₹70 to a US$.  The consular exchange rate was ₹68 to one US$ prior to this. This revision in the exchange rate will affect the Indian Rupee equivalent for all application fees paid on or after February 18, 2016. The…

Attorney Sheela Murthy along with Attorneys from Murthy Immigration Services met the Chief of Nonimmigrant Visa Section at Chennai recently. One of the items discussed during this meeting is prudential revocation of nonimmigrant visas if the holder was arrested or convicted for any offense related to driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) or driving…

In May 2014, Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) was appointed as the outsourcing agency to handle collection, processing, and delivery of applications related to the Indian visa, Overseas Citizen of India, and Renunciation of Indian Citizenship processes. On December 29, 2015, Indian Consular Missions in the United States introduced a new visa application system.…

The MurthyNAYAK Foundation, which was started by Attorney Sheela Murthy (Founder and President of Murthy Law Firm) and her husband, Mr. Vasant Nayak along with Murthy Immigration Services are working together to make a charitable donation towards relief operations. Several of our clients and readers are contributing towards relief operations. We have seen several acts…

On December 2, 2015 the U.S. Consulate in Chennai issued an Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens in Chennai and Pondicherry. This advisory warns U.S. Citizens in affected areas against travel and advises them to stock food and water. Though weather is looking calm now, more rains are expected in the next few days, it is…

In the November, 2015 edition of MurthyIndiaBulletin, we reported on new criteria for visa interview waiver  program (IWP). Non-immigrant visa applicants, eligible for IWP program should generally plan to submit their application from one of the document collection centers located within the jurisdiction of respective U.S. Embassy / Consulate. However, if for some reason, the…

Following the unprecedented rains in Chennai and the resultant floods, we had reported earlier that the U.S. Consulate in Chennai was forced to close from December 3, 2015. The U.S. Consulate in Chennai resumed operations on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. The Visa Application Center (VAC) also remained closed until Sunday, December 6, 2015. The VAC…