Feb. 2000 Update from Consulate in Chennai
Posted Feb 18, 2000

Effective from February 22, 2000, the U.S. Consulate in Chennai intends to accept passports from visa applicants in the morning and will then, after making a decision on the case, send the passport and all relevant paperwork directly to the visa applicant via courier service. It now appears that visa applicants who have a visa interview for an H1B or even an F-1 visa would be required to leave the Consulate promptly after the interview. The applicant will no longer be required to be present to pick up the visa and the passport at the Consulate. The Consulate will then deliver the passport to the visa applicant by courier service only. The visa applicant will be required to pay an additional courier service fee of Rupees 150 (Indian currency, equivalent to about USD $4) upon the delivery of the passport at the visa applicant's home or office.

All drop-box applications, rather than being submitted at the U.S. Consulate, will now have to be processed through TT Services, Number 4K & 4L (IV Floor), Prince Arcade, 22-A Cathedral Road, Chennai, India (Telephone number: 822-6459). TT Services will collect the usual demand draft for visa processing fees ($145 payable in Indian currency, depending on conversion rates then in effect) which were previously collected at the U.S. Consulate. The passport will be directly returned to the visa applicant's home or office address by the courier service, for which the standard service fee of Rs. 150 will be collected by the courier service, upon delivery of the package to the visa applicant.

As always, we at the Law Office of Sheela Murthy are happy we can provide the most up-to-date and cutting edge immigration law information, particularly with respect to the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India.