Non-immigrant U.S. visa applicants need to pay a visa application fee (also known as machine readable visa fee or MRV fee). This fee varies based on the category of visa that is applied for. Prior to COVID, the fee was valid for a period of 365 days. During COVID, the department of state had extended…

On August 10, 2022, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Consular Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie M. Stufft, shared updates regarding the status of immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. An overview of these updates is provided below. Rate of Non-Immigrant & Immigrant Visa Processing…

An overview of the process for an Indian citizen to apply for the reissuance of an expired immigrant visa is provided here for the benefit of MurthyIndiaDotCom readers. Background on Validity of Immigrant Visas When one applies for an immigrant visa while abroad (consular processing), an immigrant visa is issued, usually, with validity of up…

On May 11, 2022, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, Mr. Don Heflin hosted a Facebook Live session to share important updates on how consular posts across India will prioritize interview appointments for nonimmigrant visa applicants in the coming months. During this live chat, Mr. Heflin stated that F1 visa applicants who had prior student…

U.S. visa applicants in India were originally permitted to choose their preferred language for a visa interview at consular posts while scheduling a visa appointment. Since the COVID-19 lockdown, U.S. consular posts in India have been attempting to resume pre-covid levels of visa operations and in these tough times, visa applicants have been finding it…

On July 26, 2022, the U.S. Embassy in India announced that the Consular Exchange Rate will be revised from 80 Indian rupees to 82 Indian rupees against one U.S. dollar. The current rate will be valid through July 31, 2022. As per the U.S Embassy, this change corresponds to recent shifts in the market exchange…

When a person applies for a U.S. visa (non-immigrant or immigrant), the general rule is that the visa will either be issued, denied or subject to a request for additional information. There are several reasons for a visa denial. Two of the most common denials are (1) Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality…

The Biden Administration has suspended COVID testing requirements for international travelers, effective Sunday, June 12, 2022, at 12:01 am ET. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that an international airline passenger will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding an international flight to the U.S. The net…

The U.S. Embassy in India announced that with effect from May 20, 2022, the Consular Exchange Rate will change from 78 Indian rupees to 1 U.S. dollar to 80 Indian rupees to 1 U.S. dollar. The current rate will be valid through June 7, 2022. As per the U.S Embassy, this change corresponds to recent…

We are pleased to report that the consular posts in India have resumed processing of routine B1/B2 visa applications requiring an in-person interview. Though the consular website indicates that the interview dates are available from September 2022; we noticed that since only limited slots are available, the interview dates have been taken and dates are…