A recent notification of the VFS website indicates the revision in their optional Lounge Service Charges. U.S. visa applicants may be aware that the VFS Global Services Private Limited (VFS) offers The Stars and Stripes Lounge, a place where US visa applicants may opt to wait ahead of their visa interview. The revised cost of…

An update dated May 25, 2010 on the U.S. Embassy and consular websites in India notify a change in the non-immigrant visa application fees with effect from June 4, 2010 and a change in the consular exchange rate with effect from May 28, 2010. New Two-Tire Fee Structure Introduced: It may be noted that the…

A very recent update on the U.S. Consulate, Hyderabad’s website indicates that applicants applying for H/L visas should submit the documents listed below, at least four working days prior to the date of interview. These documents should be submitted at the VFS office located at Hyderabad and not to the consulate directly. The documents include:…

The US Consulates and Embassy in India have adjusted the exchange rate from Rs. 48 to a US$ to Rs. 46 to a US$ with effect from May 1, 2010. Effectively all the applicable visa fees will be adjusted with the new exchange rate. The non-immigrant visa application fee of US$ 131 under the revised…

A recent update on the US Consulate General, Chennai’s website notifies American Citizens seeking regular non-emergency services to schedule an appointment with the consulate. This requirement for an appointment comes into force with immediate effect. Appointments can be scheduled by emailing the Citizenship Services section of the U.S. consulate, Chennai at chennaics@state.gov. It may be…

Applicants have been experiencing difficulty, completing the Form DS-160 since late evening on March 2, 2010 due to slow connectivity in the https://ceac.state.gov website while filling DS-160. We at Murthy immigration services Pvt Ltd Chennai have received several calls and eMails from US visa applicants, informing that they were finding it difficult to complete the…

Some of the early applicants for nonimmigrant visa using the form DS-160 since January 19, 2010 would have realized that finding the link to schedule an appointment was very difficult. We at Murthy Immigration Services received several calls seeking assistance on scheduling the appointment using the VFS system. Following this, Murthy Immigration Services brought this…

A recent update on the www.travisaoutsourcing.com, the official agents for scheduling appointments with Indian Missions in the U.S. has notified that in December 2009, the Government of India introduced a new rule that restricts foreigners with tourist visa for India from re-visiting India within two months of the last visit. This new rule affects all…

An update on the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi’s website notifies that with effect from January 19, 2010 all non-immigrant visa applicants need to complete Form DS-160. This form replaces the existing Form DS-156, DS-157 (for applicants aged 15 – 55 years) and DS-158 (for F, M and J applicants) with effect from February 1, 2010.

A recent update on the official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs notifies that the Government of India, with effect from January 1, 2010 has extended “Tourist Visa-on-Arrival” for citizens of five countries. The countries that benefit from this facility are (1) Finland; (2) Japan; (3) Luxembourg; (4) New Zealand and (5) Singapore. This…