Both Immigrant and non-immigrant U.S. visa applicants in India are experiencing unusually long wait times for a visa interview. As of this writing, most consular posts in India have appointment availability only from late August to mid-September 2019. Some U.S. visa applicants may be eligible for an urgent appointment. However, most will have to follow…

Effective May 31, 2019, all U.S. Non-Immigrant applicants need to provide information about certain social media s/he has used in the past 5 years. As of this writing, the additional social media related questionnaire lists the following social media platforms: ask.fm, Douban, Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIN, MySpace, Pinterest, QZone (QQ), Reddit, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo,…

Our readers may be aware that all B1 applicants are subject to the presumption of immigrant intent under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Among other requirements, B1 applicants should establish the fact that s/he will perform only activities permitted under B1 category, which includes, but is not limited to attending conferences,…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced closure of all international operations (IO) division offices by the end of 2019. Closure of USCIS International Field offices would affect some very useful services available for eligible U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, certain non-immigrants, asylees and refugees residing in India. Detailed list of activities performed…

Regular visitors of MurthyIndiaDotCom would be aware that certain non-immigrant visa applicants like B1/B2, F and J applicants (continuing as student / exchange visitor in the same school or same institution as lised on previous visa), H, L (excluding blanket L applicants) and R visa applicants are eligible for dropbox. To be eligible for the…

On April 1, 2019 we reported that there is a significant increase in the wait times for nonimmigrant and immigrant visa interviews in India. The wait time continues to be long even now. If one is planning to visit the United States, we strongly recommend to apply early to avoid disappointment.

A) Rescheduling a nonimmigrant visa interview/appointment(s) after Completion of Biometric AppointmentRegular 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,…

Regular readers may be aware that Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation) should be submitted by certain immigrants to obtain necessary documents to be permitted to board a flight to the United States without the carrier being penalised  For example, a child born to a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) mother during her temporary visit abroad is…

Our regular readers are aware that eligible Legal Permanent Residents can apply for a Boarding Foil – formerly known as Transportation Letter, if his/her Green Card (Permanent Resident card I-551) is lost, stolen or damaged while on a temporary visit abroad. The US Embassy’s website in India indicates that their office accepts walk-ins from Monday…

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Memorandum on the ‘Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants’ dated August 9, 2018, has brought a major shift on the subject of when F, J and M nonimmigrants begin accruing unlawful presence. Prior to this Policy Memorandum, such nonimmigrants started accruing unlawful presence only in…