When a person applies for a U.S. visa (non-immigrant or immigrant), the general rule is that the visa will either be issued, denied or subject to a request for additional information. There are several reasons for a visa denial. Two of the most common denials are (1) Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality…

The Biden Administration has suspended COVID testing requirements for international travelers, effective Sunday, June 12, 2022, at 12:01 am ET. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that an international airline passenger will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding an international flight to the U.S. The net…

The U.S. Embassy in India announced that with effect from May 20, 2022, the Consular Exchange Rate will change from 78 Indian rupees to 1 U.S. dollar to 80 Indian rupees to 1 U.S. dollar. The current rate will be valid through June 7, 2022. As per the U.S Embassy, this change corresponds to recent…

We are pleased to report that the consular posts in India have resumed processing of routine B1/B2 visa applications requiring an in-person interview. Though the consular website indicates that the interview dates are available from September 2022; we noticed that since only limited slots are available, the interview dates have been taken and dates are…

We are happy to report that the consular posts in India have resume processing of routine B1/B2 visa applications requiring an in-person interview. Though the consular website indicates that the interview dates are available from September 2022; we noticed that since only limited slots are available, the interview dates have been taken and dates are…

On April 18, 2022, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, Mr. Don Heflin hosted a Facebook Live session to share important updates on how consular posts across India will prioritize interview appointments for nonimmigrant visa applicants in the coming months.Updates for Work Visa Applicants (H/L/O): U.S. Consulates will collectively process approximately 800,000 visas in the…

The wait for a U.S. visa interview can be quite frustrating. More so when certain “agents” are able secure an early interview date while genuine applicants who diligently follow instructions from U.S. Consulates, are forced to wait endlessly.In a welcome move, the non-immigrant visa appointment system has been modified. Now the applicant or representative will…

Effective today, Monday, April 4, 2022, applicants can submit their application for visa at any Visa Application Centers (VAC) where a U.S. consular post is located.  For example, if the dropbox appointment is scheduled in New Delhi, the applicant may submit the visa application on the scheduled date and time at any one of the…

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has confirmed that if any U.S. visa applicant refuses one or more doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine that is medically appropriate for and available to the applicant, then this will be documented as a refusal to be vaccinated. This would result in the visa applicant being considered…

On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Embassy in India announced that the Consular Exchange Rate will change from 76 Indian rupees to 1 U.S. dollar to 78 rupees to 1 U.S. dollar. The current rate will be valid through January 3, 2022. As per the U.S Embassy, this change corresponds to recent shifts in the…