Transportation Letter used to be issued by U.S. Embassy or Consulate in India to legal permanent residents whose plastic “green card” is lost, stolen or damaged while abroad. This document will serve as instruction to the Aircraft that the person is a legal permanent resident and may be permitted to board the flight. Previously, this…

An update on the U.S. Consulate, Mumbai’s website indicates that due to technical difficulties, emails sent to the VFS at infousmumbai@vfshelpline.com between April 1, 2011 and April 4, 2011 have been reported as lost. Applicants who contacted them during this time frame through the above email address need to re-send their query. This update can…

Regular visitors to www.murthyindia.com and readers of MurthyIndiaBulletin are aware that the U.S. Consulate has introduced Bangalore outreach program, offering off-site document services for Citizens of the United States of America. This includes accepting applications for U.S. Passports / Renewals and providing Notary services for American Citizens. This service is available to U.S. Citizens and…

The VFS U.S. Visa Application Center in Cochin will remain closed on April 15, 2011 on account of Vishu Festival. Vishnu is a Festival of Harvest and Malayalam New Year. Please note that the U.S. Visa Application Centers in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad will remain open. The U.S. Visa Application Center can be contacted on…

Regular readers of MurthyIndiaBulletin are aware of the requirement of the “U Visa” sticker for person who hold the status as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), to travel to India. Carrying the OCI booklet does not allow entry into India. If a person holding status as OCI loses the passport which has the “U Visa”…

Partial Reduction in Operations A recent update on the U.S. Consulate, Mumbai’s website indicates that they are coming up with a new facility which is expected to open later in 2011. The update further clarifies that since there is reduction in the number of operational windows which is directly incidental to the ageing of the…

Nonimmigrant visa applicants aged over 80 years may be exempted from a personal appearance for their non-immigrant visa interview under certain circumstances. The applicant may contact the respective consulate via eMail and request for a waiver of personal appearance. Applicants who are 80-years-old or older, and have not been previously found ineligible for a U.S.…

We recently reported that the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and more recently the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai provided comprehensive support through VFS. With effect from today, February 15, 2011, the Consular Section in Hyderabad has shifted to the VFS service for response to inquiries. Effective today, the U.S. Consulate will not respond to eMails…

Effective January 3, 2011, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai has joined the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi in providing comprehensive and multi-lingual helpline for U.S. non-immigrant visa applicants through the VFS services. The VFS call centers handle inquires from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on all working days.…

We wish to remind U.S. visa applicants who hold Indian passports valid for 20 years to replace the passport with a 10 year passport prior to applying for a U.S. visa. Though the U.S. Government recognizes the 20 year passports issued by India, in March 2004, the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC advised Indians with…