Changes to Immigrant Visa Application Procedure
[a report from Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. in Chennai, India]
Posted Nov 03, 2006
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The October 20, 2006 edition of the MurthyBulletin reported changes to the nonimmigrant visa application system in Chennai, India. [That article, Changes for Visa Applicants in India, is available on MurthyDotCom.] The American Embassy in Chennai has recently announced some changes to the immigrant visa application system, as well.
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As some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may be aware, during the final stages of immigrant visa processing, the consulate sends Packet 4, which contains the immigrant visa appointment letter along with required forms, including details of medicals. Once the applicants receive this, they must visit the consulate on the scheduled date and time with all relevant documents. But with the new system effective from November 15 2006, immigrant visa applicants will have to visit the nearest VFS office no earlier than 15 working days and no later than 10 working days prior to the date of interview to submit all documents required for the immigrant visa. The applicants should also pay a courier fee of INR 365 in cash for each applicant [It may be noted that this fee was paid by way of a demand draft favoring Blue Dart Express Ltd., for INR 350]. The Embassy announcement indicates that failure to do this may result in loss of the interview date.
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Though it is preferable to submit all documents to VFS, it is understood that the documents may be submitted directly to Consulate, but the preference is to have this submitted to the VFS. However, it is mandatory to pay the courier charges at the nearest VFS center ahead of the interview.
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Since some clients of Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. (MIS) are located in remote areas, we have clarified from the U.S. Consulate, Chennai that the immigrant visa applicants may send their representatives to submit the documents and pay the courier charges to the VFS center. Further it was clarified that, in such cases, the medicals may be hand carried to the interview by the applicant.
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Previously, in immigrant cases for which the consulate had requested additional documentation, applicants had to visit the consulate with these documents. But as of November 1 2006, such applicants should submit all the documents requested in the query to the VFS Center. As yet, the fee payable for this service has not been provided.
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The location of VFS centers for South India are as follows:
|
Chennai : Gowthami Towers 2A First Street Cenatoph Road, Teynampet Chennai - 600 018 |
Bangalore : 102, The Presidency, 1st floor, St. Marks Road Bangalore - 560 025 |
|
Hyderabad : Sunil Chambers, 1st floor Road No. 7, Banjara Hills Hyderabad - 500 034 |
Kochi : 3C, South Point Hinton Chittoor Road, Near Kasba Police Station Kacheripady, Ernakulam - 682 018 |
Revision in Exchange Rate as of November 13,
2006
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In an October 31, 2006 press release, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi
announced that all United States consular sections in India will adjust the
consular exchange rate from INR 48 to the U.S. dollar to INR 46 to the U.S.
dollar. This change will become effective Monday, November 13, 2006. The
following schedule shows the revised fees for commonly used services.
| Consular Fees |
New Rate |
|
|
Nonimmigrant Visa Application Fee $100 (all applicants - payable at HDFC branches) |
INR | 4,600 |
|
Visa Issuance Fee $50 (most visas*, due upon issuance of visa) |
INR | 2,300 |
|
Visa Issuance Fee $500 (Blanket L-1** visa applicants only) |
INR | 23,000 |
| Passport Renewal Fee (U.S. Citizens) | INR | 3,082 |
| New Passport Application (Adults over 16) | INR | 4,462 |
| Passport Application Fee (Children under 16) | INR | 3,772 |
| Single Notary Seal | INR | 1,380 |
| * Not applicable to Bhutanese citizens, holders of yellow Identity Certificate and the following visa types: A, C-1, C-1/D, D, F, G, J, K, M, T, V and Blanket L-1 | ||
| ** This fee covers the cost of a fraud detection and prevention investigation. Only applicable to Blanket L-1 principal applicants, not dependents | ||
The consulate will
accept only bank drafts in the exact amount applicable on the day the
application is submitted. This
information can be found on the U.S. Embassy WebSite.
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Complete Nonimmigrant Visa Application Forms
Online
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In another
update, the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi has announced that, as of November
1, 2006, their office will not accept handwritten or typed applications.
This should not affect applicants who have scheduled their visa interviews
online using the VFS system. This applies more to persons returning to the
consulate with additional documentation or responding to a query. These
forms can be found on the U.S. Department of State (DOS) WebSite.
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We at Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd., shall continue to monitor
changes to the visa application system, keeping MurthyDotCom and
MurthyBulletin readers informed of the latest changes. Considering the fact
that there are frequent changes to the system, however, we do encourage visa
applicants to visit the VFS WebSite at
https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/Home.aspx and that of the appropriate U.S.
Consulate / Embassy for up-to-date information on procedures and other
formalities before applying for a U.S. visa.
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