We reported that the US State Department launched a pilot program allowing B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa applicants to pay an extra $750 fee to get an interview appointment within 10 business days, instead of waiting months in the regular queue. The pilot runs from July 1 to December 31, 2026. As of this writing, this pilot…

The U.S. visa application system has a set of new options for B-1/B-2 visa applicants.The new set of categories include the following: B1/B2 – 1 Business Professionals (Conditions Apply) B1/B2 – 2 Parents Visiting Children with Legal Status (Conditions Apply) B1/B2 – 3 General Tourism & Travel (Open to All Applicants with No Recent Refusal)…

On June 8, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a landmark ruling in California et al. v. Mullin et al., vacating the $100,000 H-1B petition fee imposed by the September 2025 Presidential Proclamation.  Background:  Twenty states in the United States had challenged the Proclamation, arguing it violated the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. The Court agreed on…

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published a temporary final rule, creating a pilot program that will allow certain B1/B2 (business/tourist) visa applicants to pay an additional $750 fee for access to expedited interview appointments. More information is provided below. Key Highlights of the Pilot Program: The program is scheduled to run from July…

U.S. visa applicants were previously placed in a waiting room which just indicated that they need to wait before being let in. Last week, www.usvisascheduling.com has a new updated waiting room. The new page displays the average wait time before the URL is accessible.  Some users are being placed in virtual queues with estimated wait times stretching…

The Murthy Immigration Services has received numerous reports from U.S. visa applicants, regarding significant technical disruptions on the official U.S. Visa Scheduling portal (usvisascheduling.com). As of this writing, the portal appears to be experiencing a global outage, impacting applicants in India, the Philippines, and other regions transitioning to the new CGI Federal system. Users attempting to log…

Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has instructed consular officers to ask all nonimmigrant visa applicants two questions regarding past harm and fear of return to their home countries, and to refuse visas when applicants indicate such fear. This change may affect individuals applying for visitor, student, and temporary worker visas…

Effective April 1, 2026, India has transitioned to a fully digital e‑Arrival Card system for inbound passengers, replacing traditional paper disembarkation forms to streamline immigration and enhance data accuracy. Under this mandate, all foreign nationals and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders flying into India must submit their arrival details online before entering the country.…

Nonimmigrant visa applicants in India will now have to submit the visa application form DS160 prior to scheduling an appointment. Previously, it was sufficient if the applicant submitted the form DS160 up to two business days prior to the date of biometric appointment. Applicants will have to provide accurate information on the form DS160 and…

The U.S. consular posts in India have revised the exchange rate from INR 94 to a USD to INR 96. This came into effect from April 1, 2026. This change does not affect any payment made prior to April 1, 2026. This change will affect the effective INR equivalent for both immigrant and non-immigrant visa…