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…

This Article is published for the benefit of foreign nationals applying for an e-Visa to travel to India. The e-Visa enables prospective visitors to pay the visa fee online and apply for an Indian Visa from his/her home country online without visiting the Indian Mission. Once approved, the applicant receives an email authorizing him/her to…

In September 2018, we published an article discussing issues faced by couples (visa applicants) who had registered the marriage under The Hindu Marriages Act (HMA), without completing the necessary rituals as prescribed under this Act. This can be found here. Over the past few weeks, we have noticed that there is an increase in the…

A recent update on www.ustraveldocs.com/in; the official U.S. Visa Information Service for India indicated that the U.S. Visa Application Center in Hyderabad will remain closed on December 7, 2018 on account of the State-Wide elections in Telangana State. All appointments due on December 7, 2018 have been automatically rescheduled to Sunday, December 9, 2018 at…

In our November 2017 issue of MurthyIndiaBulletin, we reported that all hand-written travel documents will become invalid from October 2018 as per the guidelines of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This can be found here. Presently handwritten Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards cannot be used for travel as they are invalid according to the…

This Article is published for the benefit of foreign Nationals staying in India on a residential permit or visa. Any foreign national who is in India on a valid visa and requiring an extension, should submit an application to extend the residential permit / visa at least 60 days prior to the date of expiration…