The U.S. Embassy in India has tweeted today that the first set of visa appointments for students will be released by mid-May 2023. Students can expect more slots to be released only by end of the student season. We urge students to pay the visa application fee and keep their profile active to ensure that…

The U.S. Embassy in India has tweeted that effective immediately, U.S. visa renewal applicants with endorsement “Clearance Received” or “Department Authorized” will be eligible for the drop box. Previously, applicants who had this annotation on their passport were not eligible for the drop box.  This is a welcome change. We will continue to monitor and…

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule in the FederalRegister amending the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for certain nonimmigrant visas (NIV) and the border crossing card for Mexican citizens aged 15 and over, which will be effective May 30, 2023, onwards.  Background  The proposed revised fee schedule, which was initially introduced in December 2021, included significant fee increases across…

We are Murthy Immigration Services have noticed that the official website to schedule an appointment at consular posts across the globe (https://atlas.my.salesforce-sites.com) has been down since Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Attempts to login to the portal result in an error message, “Unable to Process Request, We apologise for the inconvenience caused”. While no official press…

The U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad made an official announcement on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, about the opening of a state-of-the-art consulate building at Nanakramguda. On Monday, March 20, 2023, the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India, will move to a new location. The new address is: U.S. Consulate General, HyderabadSy. No. 115/1 Financial DistrictNanakramguda, HyderabadTelangana,…

New F, M and J student and exchange visitor applicants can now apply for their visa up-to 365 days ahead of their program start date. However, it is important to remember that one can enter the U.S. only 30 days prior to the program start date. Previously, students could apply only up to 180 days…

In a recent tweet, the U.S. Consular Mission in India has notified that B1/B2 visa applicants traveling abroad could appear for the visa interview at the U.S. consular post in the country of destination. Given that wait times in India are over 500 days for most B1/B2 applicants, this is a welcome relief. At the time…

Effective December 12, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its Policy Manual to provide a 24-month automatic extension of Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards) for lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who properly file a Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, on or after that date. Background Prior to this, applicants who had filed for naturalization within…

Effective January 8, 2023, applicants visiting the Hyderabad Visa Application Center (VAC) for scheduled appointments, document submission and passport collection are required to visit its new location at Lower Concourse, HITEC City Metro Station, Madhapur, Hyderabad – 500081. It should be noted that there is no change in the address of the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad,…

On December 23, 2022, The Department of State (DOS) announced that consular officers will continue to be authorized to waive in-person interviews on a case-by-case basis for certain nonimmigrant visa categories through December 31, 2023. The authorization to waive in-person interviews for certain other applicants renewing a visa in the same classification within 48 months…