Effective August 17, 2014, the Consular Electronic Application Center website will no longer support Internet Explorer 6.0 and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 2.0/3.0. Thereafter, users of the site will need an updated browser that supports 128-bit encryption, with Java Script and Transport Layer Security (TLS) enabled. This site is used to complete Department of State…

Regular readers of MurthyIndiaDotCom are aware that the U.S. Citizenship Services Section of the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, periodically provides outreach services at Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), to help U.S. citizens. The next outreach program at Bengaluru is scheduled from August 20 to 22, 2014. More information on the services offered and procedure to schedule an…

A news updated on www.ustraveldocs.com/in, the official visa information website for the U.S. missions in India indicates that the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will remain closed on Friday, August 1, 2014 for administrative reasons. This will affect both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants who have a confirmed appointment…

Regular readers of MurthyIndiaDotCom are aware that the U.S. Citizenship Services Section of the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, periodically provides outreach services at Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), to help U.S. citizens. The next outreach program at Bengaluru is scheduled from July 15, 16 and 17, 2014. More information on the services offered and procedure to schedule…

June 2014 saw the opening of new U.S. Commercial Service office in Ahmedabad, Gujarat by the Consul General Peter Haas and a new American Business Corner in Indore, Madhya Pradesh by the Principal U.S. Commercial Officer Camille Richardson. The Commercial operation in Ahmedabad was initially setup in 1997. The opening of the above two new…

We had reported earlier that one BLS International Services US (BLS) had been appointed as the authorized Visa and Passport Application Centre for the Indian Embassy / Consulates in the United States of America, with effect from May 7, 2013. There is another change in the service provider and with effect from May 21, 2014,…

Regular travelers to the United States may be aware that, effective May 1, 2014; the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) replaced physical I-94 arrival / departure cards with a new online version. The new system provides access to I-94 arrival/departure record and the arrival/departure history of non-immigrant travelers to the U.S.A detailed article…

With the approvals coming in based on cap subject H1-B petitions filed under Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 and selected in the lottery, we have been receiving calls from H1-B beneficiaries and employers, seeking clarification on how early one can apply for H1-B visa based on the approval received under the FY 2015 quota. The U.S.…

Following the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is celebrating Student Visa Day on Thursday, June 19, 2014. This is to help students who plan to pursue their education in the United States. More than 1,000 students are expected to participate in this event. Staff from the Embassy and the United…

With effect from Wednesday, May 28, 2014 the U.S. consular exchange rate is adjusted to ₹62 to one US$. The consular exchange rate was ₹65 to one US$ prior to this. This revision in the exchange rate will affect the Indian Rupee equivalent for all application fees paid on or after May 28, 2014. The…