Attorney Murthy's Consular Meeting at Chennai
Posted Aug 20, 2004
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Attorney Sheela Murthy met personally with Michael Thomas, the Chief of the U.S. Consular Section at the U.S. Consulate at Chennai, India on July 7, 2004. For a portion of the meeting, they were joined by other members of the consular team and Attorney Murthy was able to discuss overall policy as well as specific cases being handled by The Law Office of Sheela Murthy.
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Mr. Thomas was very generous with his time and ideas during this meeting. He shared certain tips, which generally should help anyone applying for a visa at a United States consulate, but will particularly be of potential benefit to visa applicants at Chennai, India. We are very pleased to be able to share this valuable information with MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers.
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Visa Applicant Must Understand Documents
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With the advent of the mandatory personal visa interview requirement for most visa applicants, these applicants must take the time to carefully review and understand all the documents being submitted to the consular officers in order to obtain their respective visas.
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Submit Brief Cover Letter to Visa Officer
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Whenever one applies at a consulate for a visa, whether a B-1, H1B, H-4, L-1, L-2 or any other visa, it is very important to submit a cover letter. The letter should briefly highlight the nature of the visit, reason for the travel, any job duties, the length of the assignment, and other relevant information for the particular visa application. The letter should preferably be less than one page. One suggestion is the use of bullet points to make it easier for the visa officer to understand, at a glance, the purpose of the visit and other relevant factors.
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In a case like an H1B or L-1, which involves an employer, the letter should outline the background of the employer; their policies for recruitment, hiring, and training; and why they have confidence in the person whom they have hired. A separate paragraph should touch upon the job duties and qualifications of the applicant.
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B-1 Needs to Explain the Nature of the Assignment
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An individual seeking a B-1 business visa needs to understand and explain to the consular officer that s/he is, for example, going to be meeting with clients, taking specifications, or otherwise attending meetings. It is important that the applicant make it clear that s/he will not actually be performing work in violation of B-1 restrictions. Although the B-1 visa applicant does not need to understand immigration law, an understanding of the nature of the assignment s/he is expected to perform while in the U.S. should be evident. One should explain clearly to the consular officer rather than being vague or hoping that the documents will speak for themselves. Do your homework if you want the visa.
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We at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy are grateful to Mr. Thomas for being so generous with his time in updating Attorney Murthy on the Chennai, India Consulate's policies and practices. We will address H1B and H-4 visas in a subsequent report on this meeting. The Consulate seems to be working diligently to keep the big picture in mind, even while tending to the details of individual cases. We thank Mr. Thomas for this meeting and hope that MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are able to put this valuable information to good use.