Non-Immigrant Visas

What's New?

Effective May 1, 2007, The Consular Exchange Rate Has Been Revised:

Effective May 1, the $100.00 nonimmigrant visa application fee, paid at HDFC branch banks prior to the scheduling of visa appointments, will cost Rs. 4,200.00.

Non-immigrant visa application
fee (non-refundable) RS. 4,200.00
Fraud Prevention Fee (Blanket L1 cases only) Rs.21000/=

All applicants are encouraged to bring correct issuance fees and fraud prevention fees (Blanket L-1 cases only) at the time of their appointment.

Attention Indian passport holders:

To process your visa cases efficiently, we recommend your surname and the given name written separately on the first page (the biographic data page) of your passport.

Example:

Surname (last name): Wesley

Given name (first name): John Edward

Once your visa is approved, the immigrant and the nonimmigrant visas will be printed as your name appears in your passport. If you do not have a surname listed separately, your entire name will be printed on the surname field of the visa. Your first name will be printed as "FNU" (first name unknown), per U.S. visa regulations.

By having "FNU" listed as your given name on your visa, you may have difficulty obtaining a driver’s license and social security card in the United States. If you would like to correct the surname and given name fields on your passport biographic data page, you must have an observation made in your passport by the Indian Passport Authorities. In order for your name to be correctly printed on your visa, you must have this observation made before coming for your interview.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Revised VFS Service Charges Starting from October 1, 2006

VFS service charge payable at HDFC = Rs.322/-(inclusive of taxes)
Fee for 221(g) cases = Rs.155/-(inclusive of taxes)
Fee for Visa correction = Rs.322/-(inclusive of taxes)
All the above charges are inclusive of 12.24% service tax.

Some facts for student applicants:

All students residing in the Chennai Consular District MUST apply in Chennai. Students can NOT attend appointments at any other post. Students attempting to apply at other posts will be sent back to Chennai.
More appointment slots WILL be made available for student applicants over the course of the next three months. Applicants trying to make F1, J1, and M1 appointments for the Fall semester should continue to monitor the VFS website. More appointments WILL be added to the schedule.
Appeals for expedited appointments will NOT be considered until the start date on the I-20 or DS-2019 is within six weeks time. Applicants should not call or e-mail until their start date is within this timeframe. Earlier appeals will NOT be approved.

VISA APPLICATIONS PENDING ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING

Applicants for non-immigrant visas no longer have to spend their time making calls and sending e-mail messages to the embassy to check the status of their visa cases which have been refused pending administrative processing. The case list below is updated on a daily basis to show the cases that have been processed. A case will have only one of three remarks “Pending process” or “Contact the Consulate” or “Send Passport”. For more information, click here....

If you have an emergency need to travel urgently:

The option to self-select an emergency appointment is now live on the http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/ system. Below are the criteria used in order for someone to self-select an appointment. Appointments are available until end of August for those that qualify.

You first need to enter all the personal details and only then can you choose the emergency appointment option.

Step by step procedure to fix an Emergency Appointment

All applicants must visit a designated HDFC bank branch to pay both the visa application fee (MRV) Rs. 4200 and VFS service fee Rs. 322 (inclusive of taxes), before scheduling their appointment.

1. Log on www.vfs-usa.co.in

2. Click on Apply for Non Immigrant Visa; click CONTINUE listed at the bottom of the screen.

3. Answer the question, -Do you have a BEP user ID?- – say yes or no, click continue

4. On the next screen choose the Create a new application, click continue

5. Answer all questions: Purpose of travel, select, select all mandatory fields, click continue

6. Which shows earliest available dates, click continue

7. Next screen shows, if you need to proceed please enter the following, mention passport expiry date here, scroll down windows

8. Click Continue. On the next screen enter name, passport no, serial no of HDFC receipt and personal information. Click continue.

9. DS 156 application appears on screen, complete this application.

10. If your case requires an emergency appointment, answer YES. If the applicant is eligible, can schedule the emergency appointment.

Visa applicants must make an appointment for a visa interview and fingerprint collection. In New Delhi, Chennai and Calcutta, applicants should make appointments on-line at http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/, or by visiting the offices of Visa Facilitation Services in Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin, Vijaywada or Hyderabad if applying from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, or Tamil Nadu. Applicants from Maharastra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh may make appointments on-line at www.visa-services.com or by visiting the office of the Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, or Pune. Contact information and locations for Visa Facilitation Services Services can be found on the U.S. Embassy web-site.

The embassy reminds applicants that all posts in India experience delays in the availability of appointments during the spring and summer months, and this year is no exception. The longest delays are in Chennai, due to the higher volume of applications, but delays at all posts are at least several weeks long. Should a sufficiently quick appointment not be available on-line, each post has procedures in place to handle genuine requests for unanticipated urgent travel.

USCIS Implements H-1B REform Act of 2005. Click here for information

New Consular Fees Schedule. Click here for information

U.S. Adjusts Consular Exchange Rate. Click here for more information

Indian Passports with 20 Years Validity

In past years, the Government of India issued some passports with 20-year validity periods. This information is not widely known in the international community and has caused some Indian travelers with 20-year passports to experience difficulties with immigration personnel. The United States Government recognizes and accepts the Indian 20 year passports as valid travel documents duly issued by the Government of India to Indian citizens. However, in March 2004, the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC advised persons holding Indian passports with 20 year validity to apply for a new 10 year validity passports. Persons holding Indian 20 year passports who wish to change them for 10 year passports should contact the Indian passport office directly regarding the modalities for doing so. Persons with a valid US visa in their old passport may still use that visa by carrying both the old and new passport when they travel. Persons with a 20-year Indian passport who will apply for a new U.S. visa may do so using the 20-year Indian passport if they so wish. Persons who do not yet have a visa, or who have a visa that is expired, or who have a visa that will expire in the next year and who intend to change their passport in the near future are advised to make the change in passport before applying for their U.S. visa rather than after. Persons who change their passport after making their visa interview appointment should bring the old passport or a photocopy to the visa interview.

Important Information on Visa Appointments and Visa Processing

High demand for visas during peak travel times and the need to take additional steps to ensure the safety of the traveling public is likely to result in periodic increases in the wait time for visa appointments. The information below is updated on a weekly basis.

Average length of time to obtain an appointment for a non-immigrant visa interview in Chennai: click here.
Average length of time to obtain an appointment for a non-immigrant visa interview in New Delhi: click here.

This site is managed by the U.S. Department of State. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

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