The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has advised the visa applicants planning to engage in Technology-Related Business or Study in U.S. to apply for visa as early as possible, prepare for visa interview well in advance and bring to interview a list of documents (linked herein). The embassy informs that visa applicants involved in technical or scientific fields may need to wait for approximately four to eight weeks for administrative processing.

For full information, please click: DS-160s from Technical/Scientific Professionals May Prompt Administrative Processing

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pertaining to new nonimmigrant visa application form DS-160 on its website www.travel.state.gov. The FAQs cover several aspects such as mandatory fields, temporary and permanent saving of application, photo upload, edits, etc.

For details, please click: DS-160 FAQs

As indicated in our December 2 and 9, 2009 news bulletins, the new web-based nonimmigrant visa application (NIV) form DS-160 will come into effect in all U.S. consular posts in India from February 1, 2010. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued a press release announcing the Roll Out of “New DS-160 Visa Application Form in India.” For all NIV visa appointments starting from this date, the applicants will need to fill out the new form, which will available online from January 19, 2010.

For complete news, please click: DS-160, New NIV Application is Effective in India from February 1, 2010

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published a proposed rule in the federal register amending the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for nonimmigrant visa application and border crossing card processing fees. The fees are set to rise from $131 to $140 for most non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas and adult Border Crossing Cards (BCCs). Applicants for petition-based visas such as H, L, O, P, Q, and R would pay an application fee of $150. The application fee for K visas for fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens would be $350, and for E visas, its $390.

The measures have come in the wake of a finding that the U.S. Government is not fully covering its costs for the processing of these visas under the current cost structure.

The public are requested to forward their written comments within 60 days beginning from December 14, 2009 (the date of publication of DOS’ notice in the federal register). Interested parties can also reach DOS by the other methods illustrated in the notice linked below.

For full news and related FAQs, please follow the link: Visa Fees Set to Increase

“DS-160,” a fully web-based Nonimmigrant Visa Application (NIV) form will soon replace Forms DS-156, 157, 158, and DS-3052. The new form combines all information previously collected on Electronic Visa Application Forms (EVAF) and will provide users with the ability to review NIV application data before they physically appear for an interview. The Department of State (DOS) aims to replace EVAFs with DS-160 no later than April 30, 2010. This will happen in two phases. The posts listed in the DOS cable (linked herein) will need to adopt DS-160 prior to March 01, 2010. The list includes all five posts in India – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Posts not listed in the cable will have time until April 30, 2010.

The applications for “E” class treaty trader NIVs will complete DS-160 and fill out a hard copy DS-156E until the DS-160E electronic form is fielded in the near future. Moreover, until further notice, K visa applicants should continue to use the DS-156 and DS-156K instead of DS-160.

As there is a possibility of actual implementation date/schedule being different in every single post, the readers and candidates are requested to regularly visit the website of such post. To visit posts, please click here: http://www.usembassy.gov/.

For full news, please follow the link: Worldwide Deployment of DS-160

The new DS-160 Online, Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application will eventually replace current nonimmigrant application forms DS-156, 157, 158, and other related forms, such as the DS-156E and 156K says the U.S. Department of State (DOS). According to DOS, the rollout of the new DS-160 will be gradual, therefore, not all U.S. Embassies and Consulates will be required to use the form at the same time.

To learn more about the form DS-160 and review the list of U.S. Embassies and Consulates currently using the new form DS-160, click List of U.S. Embassies Using Online DS-160.

For FAQs on the Online DS-160, please click: DS-160 FAQs

The readers are requested to check back DOS website or our immigration news blog for implementation update announcements.

Pursuant to Vienna convention and other bilateral covenants between the United States and the United Mexican States, the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, has entered into a local arrangement with Houston Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Field Offices for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the safe and orderly repatriation of Mexican nationals from U.S. to Mexico. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has 14 sections that deal with Criteria and Procedures, Consular Notification and Access, Interior and Border Coordination, and Arrangement’s Evaluation. This is a local arrangement and only 34 counties of Texas are covered under the MOU, if any undocumented Mexican is found, the U.S. immigration enforcement authorities should take appropriate actions mentioned in this MOU and repatriate them back to Mexico.

For complete information, please click Repatriation to Mexico from Houston

The U.S Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer inaugurated the new Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on Monday. This new facility is of a multi-year and $10 million expansion that will allow the Embassy to provide faster and better consular services to the Indian community. “This facility is a reflection of the enduring strength of the US-India relationship and demonstrates the United States’ commitment to our expanding people-to-people ties just as we are strengthening our strategic partnership for the prosperity, security, and democratic future of all our citizens,” stated Roemer. The new facility doubles the waiting area, triples capacity and adds a modern queuing system to guide customers through the visa process. Apart from the fact that the largest population of foreign students in the US is Indian, the number of non-immigrant visas issued to Indians in the past five years has also more than doubled, from 275,000 in 2003 to 560,000 in 2008. The demand for consular services in India has surged to new levels mirroring the deepening strategic partnership. Indians have also been the largest foreign student population in US colleges and universities since 2001 and the number reached nearly 95,000 in 2008.

For more information please click: U.S. Embassy Inaugurates New Consular Section

Sensing threats and terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens in India during the current Indian festive season, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued a Travel Alert to its citizens living or planning to travel India. DOS apprehend that the culmination of Hindu, Islamic, and secular holidays as well as the period surrounding the commemoration of the September 11 terror attacks could pose threat to U.S. citizens. The alert brings back the memory of last year’s attacks in Mumbai’s hotels and other public places vividly reminding that these places are especially attractive targets for terrorists groups. The alert urges U.S. citizens to always practice good security, maintain a heightened situational awareness and a low profile. It further advises American visitors to monitor local new reports and consider the level of security present when visiting public places, including religious sites, or choosing hotels, restaurants, entertainment and recreation venues. This Travel Alert expires on October 30, 2009.

For complete information, please click Travel Alert until October 30, 2009

To end the ongoing political turmoil in Honduras, the Department of State (DOS) is temporarily suspending non-immigrant visa services. DOS Spokesman, Ian Kelly stated that to restore the democratic and constitutional order and resolve the political crisis in Honduras, the OAS Foreign Ministers mission is in Honduras seeking support for the San Jose Accord. In order to put pressure on the de facto regime to sign the San Jose Accord and support this mission, the U.S. DOS is conducting a full review of its visa policy in Honduras. As part of that review, from August 26, DOS is suspending non-emergency, non-immigrant visa services in the consular section of its embassy in Honduras. Justifying the decision, Kelly said we firmly believe a negotiated solution is the appropriate way forward and the San Jose Accord is the best solution.

For complete information, please click Temporary Suspension of Non-Immigrant Visa Services in Honduras