Following the demise of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Selvi. J. Jayalalitha, the U.S. Consulate will remain closed on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. The Consulate is expected to resume regular operations on Thursday, December 8, 2016. Applicants who were scheduled to attend an interview at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai on December 7,…

On account of the critical health condition of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the related situation in Chennai, the Non-immigrant Visa Unit of the U.S. Consulate in Chennai has cancelled all interviews scheduled on Monday, December 5, 2016. Since all the applicants would have completed their biometrics already, they need to login to their…

We had reported earlier that consular posts in India are experiencing longer wait times for visa appointment. A recent update on the official visa information website of the U.S. Mission in India indicates that the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the four U.S. Consular posts in India have made thousands of extra visa appointments.…

We at Murthy Immigration Services are often contacted by U.S. visa applicants inquiring about the difference between U.S. visa application centers and document pick-up / drop-off locations in India. In this article, we are providing clarity on the same. In India there are only 5 visa application centers. These are located in New Delhi, Mumbai,…

Immigrant Visa applicants in India now have the option to request both their passport and visa to be mailed to their home address, as long as both documents are serviced by Blue Dart. Previously, immigrant visa applicants had to choose from one of the 11 pickup locations to collect the passport. Under the new system, immigrant…

In light of the increased demand for nonimmigrant visa appointments in India, U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants are permitted to reschedule their visa interview only twice after scheduling an appointment. After the second reschedule, the system will not permit any further changes to the appointment. If the applicant needs to further reschedule an appointment, s/he must…

With effect from Thursday, June 30, 2016, the consular exchange rate has been revised to ₹70 to one US$. This revision in exchange rate will affect the Indian rupee equivalent for all application fees paid on or after June 30, 2016. The revision is applicable across all non-immigrant and immigrant visa applications, and American Citizenship…

The wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview at the U.S. embassy / consulates in India was negligible until a few months ago. Applicants were able to obtain an interview date within 2 to 5 business days for most categories of visas at almost any post in India. However, recently, the wait times have increased…

Effective June 5, 2016, applicants and/or authorized representatives can collect their passports from the 5 Visa Application Centers located in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is in addition to the regular schedule. The passport should be collected within 14 calendar days. This information can…

Many first time H1B beneficiaries will be gearing up for their consular H1B visa application process as the start date for H1B employment (October 1) approaches. It may be recalled that one can apply 90 days prior to the start date mentioned on the I-797 and can travel up to 10 calendar days prior to…