On December 2, 2015 the U.S. Consulate in Chennai issued an Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens in Chennai and Pondicherry. This advisory warns U.S. Citizens in affected areas against travel and advises them to stock food and water. Though weather is looking calm now, more rains are expected in the next few days, it is…

In the November, 2015 edition of MurthyIndiaBulletin, we reported on new criteria for visa interview waiver  program (IWP). Non-immigrant visa applicants, eligible for IWP program should generally plan to submit their application from one of the document collection centers located within the jurisdiction of respective U.S. Embassy / Consulate. However, if for some reason, the…

Following the unprecedented rains in Chennai and the resultant floods, we had reported earlier that the U.S. Consulate in Chennai was forced to close from December 3, 2015. The U.S. Consulate in Chennai resumed operations on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. The Visa Application Center (VAC) also remained closed until Sunday, December 6, 2015. The VAC…

Chennai is slowly getting back on its feet, with millions of people across the globe, reaching out with a helping hand. Humanity is at its best in this difficult and trying times. The U.S. consulate in Chennai, on account of safety of the applicants, will remain closed on Monday, December 7, 2015. The biometrics appointments…

A notification on www.ustraveldocs.com/in, the official visa information website of the U.S. missions in India indicates that the U.S. Consulate in Chennai and the Visa Application Center (VAC) will remain closed on Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4, 2015. This is a precautionary measure, given the current flood situations in Chennai. Applicants should login…

On July 24, 2015, we had reported that the visa application center (VAC) in Chennai was relocated to from Cenotaph Road to Kodambakkam High Road. This update can be found here.  One of our subscribers and follower of MurthyIndiaDOTCom brought it to our attention that though the address shows the building on the Kodambakkam High…

Pursuant to Section 402 of Public Law 111-230, an additional filing fee of US$ 2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and US$2,250 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions was introduced. Subsequently, another Public Law was passed on January 2, 2011 that extended the fees for filings until September 30, 2015. This law has sunset and effective…

On November 5, 2012, we had reported that H and L visas were included under the Interview Waiver Program (IWP), we had also indicated that for H visas, one of the primary criteria is that the applicant should  continue to work for the same petitioner / employer. A recent and significant change in this criteria…

The passport collection center in Pune (Sohrab Hall) is closed until further notice on account of a fire incident. An update on the official visa information website of the U.S. missions in India indicates that no passports or documents were damaged in the incident. Until this center is operational, a temporary passport collection / pass…

Effective September 1, 2015; Banks in India will remain closed on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. U.S. visa applicants will not be able to pay the visa application fee on these days, even using the online National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) facility. However, the Banks will work full day on all odd…