We had reported on December 2, 2013 on the requirement for immigrant visa applicants to complete the new online immigrant visa application form DS-260 which replaces the paper based form DS-230 (Part I and II).

• Effective December 23, 2013, all immigrant visa applicants are required to schedule an appointment for biometrics through www.ustraveldocs.com/in at one of the Visa Application Centers in India. This appointment is to provide fingerprints and photographs required for the immigrant visa interview. We expect this procedure to significantly reduce the processing time at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai. It may be recalled that immigrant visas in India are processed only at these two posts.
• The new immigrant visa interview system permits one to schedule an appointment for immigrant visa interview (other than ones scheduled by the National Visa Centre directly) including an appointment for status as “Return Resident (SB-1), boarding foil / transportation letter.

We trust this new bio-metric and visa interview scheduling system will benefit immigrant visa applicants in India by reducing the wait time and giving applicants the flexibility of choosing their preferred date and time for the interview.