An update on the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi’s website notifies that with effect from January 19, 2010 all non-immigrant visa applicants need to complete Form DS-160. This form replaces the existing Form DS-156, DS-157 (for applicants aged 15 – 55 years) and DS-158 (for F, M and J applicants).

Applicants Need To Complete DS-160 Online:

The form DS-160 will have to be completed online. The notification indicates that the form DS-160 will not be available for India until January 19, 2010 and that from January 19, 2010, applicants need to complete this new form. The update on the VFS website (US Visa Application Center) indicates that this form will be available for India from January 19, 2010 and applicants applying for a non-immigrant visa from February 1, 2010 will need to use this form. Our office will attempt to clarify this information and keep our readers posted of any update on this matter.

Photograph To Be Submitted Online:

The applicant must scan a passport style color photograph taken on plain white background. The minimum size of this photograph should be 50mm x 50mm (2 inches x 2 inches). The photograph should be scanned at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) or 300 pixels per inch (ppi). The scanned image will have to be stored as a JPEG (on high quality low compression). More information on the specification for the photograph can be found by visiting here.  This image will then have to be uploaded.

Payment Of Application Fee At Designated HDFC Bank:

The applicant or representative will have to continue the existing procedure of paying the visa application fee at one of the designated HDFC Banks and obtain the bar-coded receipt which is required to schedule the visa interview. A list of designated HDFC Banks can be found here.

Basic Requirements:

The applicant or representative would need a browser that supports 128-bit encryption with support for JavaScript. The Internet explorer should be version 5.0 with service pack 2 or higher or a minimum Netscape version of 6.2 or higher.
Only Bar-Coded Page Needs To Be Carried For The Interview: The applicant is not required to print the entire forms. Only the last page of the application form that carries the bar code needs to be printed and submitted at the interview along with passport, photograph, HDFC receipt and other required documents.

Applicant Required To Sign/Submit Form DS-160:

Even if the applicant was supported by someone to complete the application form, 22 C.F.R. 6 41.103 requires that the applicant needs to sign and submit the application form. Even if someone has assisted in completion of the application form, the applicant needs to click the submit button.

Data Loss Due To Non-Activity:

While completing the application form, the applicant needs to remember that if there is no activity for 20 minutes or more, the form will time out and will result in data loss.

Conclusion:

The above information is a compilation of information available on the website of the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, the VFS website and the website of U.S. Department of State. More detailed instructions can be found by visiting Consular Electronic Application Center.  Since this procedure will be new, applicant(s) need to be careful and take more time in ensuring that they submit accurate information on the form.

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