First time student (F and M) and exchange visitor (J) applicants have to pay the I-901 Student Exchange Vistor Information System (SEVIS) fee prior to applying for a U.S. visa. Effective June 24, 2019 the I-901 SEVIS fee for F and M international students has been revised from $200 to $350 and for certain J…

Subscribers to Murthy India Bulletin may be aware that one needs to create a profile and schedule an appointment through https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in – the official visa information website of the U.S. mission in India. U.S. non-immigrant visa applicants in India may already be aware of the frustratingly long wait for most categories of U.S. visa appointments.…

Regular readers of Murthy India Bulletin may be aware that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has field offices in a few countries. Earlier this year, it was announced that these field offices would be shut down. In an effort towards this, the USCIS has announced that effective July 1, 2019 – the…

The form now seeks information about certain social media platforms and handles used by the visa applicant in the last five years. While reviewing the form DS-160, in the section seeking information about address and phone, the following additional questions are listed: • Have you used additional phone numbers in the last five years? •…

Both Immigrant and non-immigrant U.S. visa applicants in India are experiencing unusually long wait times for a visa interview. As of this writing, most consular posts in India have appointment availability only from late August to mid-September 2019. Some U.S. visa applicants may be eligible for an urgent appointment. However, most will have to follow…

Effective May 31, 2019, all U.S. Non-Immigrant applicants need to provide information about certain social media s/he has used in the past 5 years. As of this writing, the additional social media related questionnaire lists the following social media platforms: ask.fm, Douban, Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIN, MySpace, Pinterest, QZone (QQ), Reddit, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo,…

Our readers may be aware that all B1 applicants are subject to the presumption of immigrant intent under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Among other requirements, B1 applicants should establish the fact that s/he will perform only activities permitted under B1 category, which includes, but is not limited to attending conferences,…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced closure of all international operations (IO) division offices by the end of 2019. Closure of USCIS International Field offices would affect some very useful services available for eligible U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, certain non-immigrants, asylees and refugees residing in India. Detailed list of activities performed…