In a press release on September 5, 2012, the current Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, Julia Stanley, announced that with effect from Wednesday, September 26, 2012, a new visa processing system will be introduced throughout India. This new system will standardize procedures, simplify fee payment and appointment scheduling for visa applicants. At the time of…

In recent months, U.S. immigration authorities have made several changes to non-immigrant visa application procedures at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India, including changes in the Interview Waiver Program (IWP) in March 2012, and recent changes to the visa application process for minors. Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. reported these as soon as they…

This is the peak time for student visa applicants aspiring to begin their studies in fall 2012. We at Murthy Immigration Services Pvt. Ltd. have received inquiries from several prospective students who have already paid the SEVIS I-901 fee to attend one school but, for some reason, have to choose a different school. In this…

A recent update on the VFS website (official administrative partners for US Consulates / Embassy in India) indicates that non-immigrant visa interview is waived for children aged below 7 years at all U.S. Consular offices in India. Subscribers of MurthyIndiaBulletin are aware that a non-immigrant visa interview waiver program (IWP) was recently re-introduced on a…

We had reported in April 2012 that visa application fees for U.S. non-immigrant and immigrant visas were revised, effective April 13, 2012. A detailed report can be found here. Our update in May 2012 clarified that applicants who had paid the non-immigrant visa application fees prior to April 13, 2012 could continue to use their fee…

Subscribers of MurthyIndiaBulletin and regular visitors to MurthyIndiaDotCom are aware that the U.S. Citizenship Services section of the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, sponsors an outreach program that provides periodic help sessions for U.S. Citizens. The next outreach program will be held in Bengaluru – formerly Bangalore – on July 6, 2012. U.S. Citizens can avail…

We at Murthy Immigration Services (P) Ltd., often receive this question from parents who have applied for non-immigrant U.S. visas for their minor children. U.S. immigration authorities normally require one of the parents to accompany the minor child for the interview and present a signed authorization from the non-accompanying parent. Parents may find themselves facing…

Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a press release in late April 2012 announced that medical students applying for higher education in the U.S. would have to submit a “No Objection Certificate” from India. It is understood that this certificate will be issued once the aspiring student executes a…

At Murthy Immigration Services, we receive many queries on the validity of the visa processing fee receipt, from visa applicants who, after purchase of the visa application fee receipts, have had to change their passports. In this article, we are providing the procedure to be followed if a non-immigrant visa applicant finds him/herself in this…

A press release dated March 29, 2012 by the Department of State, which is also available on the U.S. Consulate, Chennai’s website notifies that effective April 13, 2012 the visa processing fee is revised. This revision results in an increase in fee for most commonly used non-immigrant visas. The fee for certain non-immigrant and all…