The U.S. Department of State (DOS), in a recent notification has indicated that the validity of the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee has been extended until September 22, 2022. It may be noted that usually the MRV fee is valid for a duration of one year from the date of payment. Earlier, validity of the MRV was extended beyond the one-year validity, until December 31, 2021.

This is a welcome gesture by the DOS and makes sense in view of the fact that most NIV visa appointments have been canceled or postponed due to various restrictions caused by COVID-19 and Presidential Proclamations preventing entry of various classifications of visa holders to apply for and obtain the U.S. visa to enter the U.S. The update can be found here.