President Biden on April 30, 2021 signed a proclamation suspending entry of certain persons who pose risk of transmitting COVID-19.
Since India has a sudden surge of COVID-19 over the past few weeks, this proclamation suspends entry of certain non-immigrants / non-citizens of the United States who were physically present within the Republic of India during the 14‑day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States.
Validity of Proclamation
This proclamation comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on May 4, 2021. If one boarded the flight prior to this time, s/he will not be affected by this proclamation. This proclamation will stay in effect until terminated by the president. The initial review will be done in 30 days from the effective date of the proclamation and subsequently on the last calendar day of each month thereafter.
U.S. Consular Posts in India Cancel all AppointmentsFollowing the presidential proclamation suspending most nonimmigrant travel from India, with immediate effect all routine visa and Visa Application Center (biometric) appointments, both in-person and interview waiver, at U.S. Embassy New Delhi and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai are cancelled until further notice.
The consular posts in India will continue to provide emergency services for U.S. citizens.
Exceptions
This proclamation also lists the exceptions to this proclamation which includes permanent residents, non-immigrants seeking entry pursuant to A-1, A-2, C-1, D, C-1/D, C-2, C-3, E-1, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1 to NATO-4 and NATO-6. Additionally, students who already possess a valid visa and will begin theri studies on or after August 1, 2021 are exempted. If others feel they may qualify for travel under the National Interest Exception, then s/he should write to Embassy or consulate that issued the visa seeking permission to travel. Consular contact information for this purpose is listed below:
- U.S. Embassy New Delhi: NewDelhiNIE@state.gov
- U.S. Consulate General Chennai: ChennaiNIE@state.gov
- U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad: HyderabadNIE@state.gov
- U.S. Consulate General Kolkata: KolkataNIE@state.gov
- U.S. Consulate General Mumbai: MumbaiNIE@state.gov
While contacting the consular post, the email should include the applicant’s Last name, First name, Date of birth, Place of birth, Country of citizenship, Passport number, Visa Number (8-digit alpha-numeric number printed on the bottom right of the visa in red color font face) and the visa category. This request should also include the travel dates, the purpose of travel and national interest category, including a clear justification for receipt of a National Interest Exception. The processing time will vary depending on the post’s work load and availability of resources. Once granted, the permission is valid for a duration of 30 days.
The complete transcript of this proclamation and the list of all the execptions can be found here. Frequently asked question on the NIE can be found on the New Delhi U.S. Embassy’s website by visiting here. We will continue to bring updates on this subject.