Elimination of Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Fee for Indians
Posted Nov 17, 2006
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The United States eliminated the $50 reciprocal visa issuance fee for Indian citizens, effective as of November 9, 2006. This reduces the visa application fees by 33 percent for a single visa applicant. There is still a $100 fee that must be paid at the time of filing or submitting the visa application. Needless to say, the payment of the visa application fee of $100 does not guarantee that the visa application will be approved by the U.S. consulates in India.
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Visa Applications May Increase
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The elimination of the visa issuance fee is an additional welcome sign to citizens of India. This fee elimination, coupled with the U.S. Department of State's efforts to reduce waiting times for appointments at the U.S. consulates in India, may help some visa applicants to file for the visa to travel to the United States.
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Liaison Office in India Assists Visa Applicants
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One who is planning to apply for a visa at a consulate in India may wish to consider using the services of the attorneys at Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. (MIS) in Chennai, India. The MIS attorneys point out potential risks in a case, indicate the nature of the documents that should be submitted to help strengthen a visa application package, and generally guide a visa applicant to understand the complex and ever-changing laws and procedures to enhance the likelihood of obtaining a visa to enter the United States. MIS recently provided a helpful update regarding recent changes in the visa application procedures in India. See this November 3, 2006 MurthyBulletin article, Changes to Immigrant Visa Application Procedure, available on MurthyDotCom.