In March 2021, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J Blinken, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), had temporarily expanded the ability of consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for individuals applying for a non-immigrant visa in the same classification within 48 months of the expiry of the prior visa.…

The USCIS issued a policy update on September 14, 2021 pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for medical examinations required by the USCIS. This update requires applicants subject to the immigration medical examination to complete the COVID-19 vaccine series (one or two doses, depending on the vaccine) and provide documentation of vaccination to the civil surgeon…

U.S. consular posts in India are currently processing H and L visa applications for applicants eligible for the National Interest Exception (NIE) as detailed here. Dropbox eligible H / L applicants should present documentation to establish eligibility for the NIE at the time of submitting the documents at the Visa Application Centre, failing which their applications…

On September 20, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that travel restrictions imposed on foreign nationals entering the United States will be relaxed, starting November 2021. Our readers are aware, that earlier this year, President Biden had further tightened the travel restrictions put in place by President Trump and restricted entry into the United States…

Most nonimmigrant visa applicants will already be aware that on April 30, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed proclamation 10199 suspending the entry into the United States of certain nationals, who were physically present in any of a list of 33 countries, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United…

The following U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants will not receive an annotation: Applicants who have demonstrated that they are not subject to the proclamation.Applicants whose visas were issued prior to the proclamation.Certain categories of visa holders eligible for blanket waivers, including F-1 and M-1 students with start or resumption date on or after August 1, 2021…

We receive inquiries from those applicants seeking to obtain the B1/B2 visa for business or tourism purposes to the U.S. The drop box facility is available to B1/B2 applicants eligible to renew their visas, children under the age of 14 and applicants aged over 80 years. Our MISPL team recently contacted the U.S. Consulate help desk…

Until now, there was no service charge or fee at the U.S. Consulates in India for collection of documents from one of the Visa Application Centers (VAC) or from one of the document-collection centers. Premium doorstep document delivery was offered at INR 500 (per package). Effective August 17, 2021, the U.S. consular posts in India…

U.S. visa applicants in India may be aware that the consular posts in India have prioritised student visa applications. Though the consular posts have resumed processing of immigrant visas, at Murthy Immigration Services Private Limited (MISPL) we have noticed that very limited or no interview slots are available for immigrant visa applicants in India. Effectively,…

We had earlier reported on the procedure to obtain a National Interest Exception (NIE).  A NIE is issued only under limited circumstances for H or L applicants. Applicants without a valid visa cannot apply for a NIE directly or ahead of the visa interview. Travellers with a valid U.S. visa who believe they are eligible for the…