A) Rescheduling a nonimmigrant visa interview/appointment(s) after Completion of Biometric Appointment

Regular readers are aware, that nonimmigrant visa interview/appointments in India is a two-step process. First the applicant needs to provide his / her biometrics at the visa application center (VAC),  which is followed by visa interview at one of the U.S. Consular posts.

In many situations, there may be more than one day between the biometric appointment and the visa interview. Until recently, U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants could reschedule the visa interview only up to 24 hours prior to the biometric appointment. If they missed this window, and the visa interview was originally scheduled a few days later, the applicant had to follow the procedure as a “no-show” applicant (not attend the interview), wait until 11:59 p.m. IST on the date of visa interview. After this, s/he had to contact the VAC help-desk to reactivate their fee and schedule a new appointment.

However, we at Murthy Immigration Services Pvt. Ltd (MISPL) noticed that there is a change to this system. U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants are now able to reschedule the visa interview/appointments with the U.S. consular posts even after completion of the biometric appointment, provided the visa interview is more than one working day apart. This is welcome move and will benefit U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants who need to re-schedule the visa interview due to personal or business exigencies.

B) Modification of Surname and Given name in profile No Longer Possible after Payment of Fees 

U.S. Nonimmigrant visa applicants in India need to create a profile on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in to pay the visa application fee (also known as MRV fee) and subsequently schedule a visa interview. Applicants were permitted to update their Surname or Given Name on the profile even after payment of visa application fee, until the visa interview is scheduled. This is no longer possible. We at Murthy Immigration Services have confirmed with the VAC in India that applicants can no longer make any edits to their Surname or Given Name once the MRV fee is paid. As of this writing applicants can request staff at the VAC to update any errors to the Surname or Given name at the time of biometric appointment. To avoid confusion / delay, we urge U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants to pay attention while creating the profile and ensure accurate information is provided, consistent with the passport.

C) Longer Wait for visa Interview 

We notice that there is a significant increase in the wait times for visa interview in India. For most categories,  the wait time is almost six to eight weeks. If one is planning a visit to the United States, it is important to apply early.