Consular sections across India are now accepting interview waiver applications for renewals of all nonimmigrant visa categories at Visa Application Centers across India. Please visit https://ustraveldocs.com/in/renew-visa.html to determine whether you are eligible for interview waiver processing. For H, L, and J categories subject to Presidential Proclamation 10052, applicants must also qualify for an exception to the proclamation. A list of drop-off locations is available on our website at https://ustraveldocs.com/in/step-5.html#application-centers . If no appointments are available, please continue to check, as new slots are added periodically.
If you received notification that your application was refused under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, U.S. immigration law requires that additional administrative processing steps be completed before your case can be advanced for adjudicative review. Unfortunately, we cannot expedite or give an estimated timeframe for completion of this processing. If additional documents are required, you will receive specific instructions on how to submit the requested information. For cases requiring an in-person interview, please follow the instructions on the 221g refusal sheet that you received. You can check the status of your application at https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC/ .
For technical assistance related to our website or scheduling an interview, please write to support-India@ustraveldocs.com . Alternately, our technical service call centers can be reached at +91 120 4844644 or +91 40 46258222 from within India, or at +1 703 520 2239 from the United States. More information on the call centers, including web and Skype calling, is available at: https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/contact-us.html .
Effective Jan 26, 2021, U.S. citizens, green card holders, and foreign nationals age 2 and older traveling to the United States must present a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken within 3 days of departure in order to board their flight. For more details go to: https://bit.ly/39znyWf . The CDC does not require that international travelers undergo mandatory federal quarantine but does recommend travelers get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home or otherwise self-quarantine for 7 days after travel. For more about the CDC’s travel recommendations, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html . All travelers to the United States are responsible for following state and local guidelines on quarantine and other COVID-related restrictions as applicable. Please note that while a valid non-immigrant visa is sufficient to apply for admission at a U.S. Port of Entry, only U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States and determine how long a traveler may stay.
As a reminder, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are accommodating a limited number of regular visa appointments across all visa classes. Appointments can be made through our website at http://ustraveldocs.com/in , and appointment slots are added regularly. If you have an emergency purpose of travel, please follow the guidance provided at http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-niv-expeditedappointment.asp . You should be sure to describe the urgent circ*mstances you believe qualify you for an expedited appointment. We continue to schedule a limited number of expedited appointments each week; requests will remain in pending (“open”) status in the appointment system until we can fully review your case. You will be notified by email if your request is approved or denied. Due to ongoing COVID-related precautions, which limit appointment availability, we will not be able to fulfill all emergency requests.
There has been no change to the requirement that lawful permanent residents (LPRs) maintain their U.S. residence through physical presence. To use your LPR card as an entry document, you must have been outside the U.S. less than one year or present an unexpired Re-entry Permit. If you have been outside the U.S. for more than one year or your Re-entry Permit has expired, you may apply for a returning resident (SB-1) visa with the U.S. Embassy in Delhi or Consulate General in Mumbai by following the instructions at: https://in.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/returning-resident-visa/ . More information about citizenship and immigration status during the COVID response can be found on the USCIS website: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-coronavirus-2019-covid-19 .
The U.S. Mission to India understands that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment. We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, rest assured that the validity of payments (known as the MRV fee) for those unable to secure an appointment have been extended until September 30, 2022. This will allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations the opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment using the already paid fee. Please continue to monitor www.ustraveldocs.com/infor the latest updates on our services.
If you need help transferring your application from one post to another in the appointment system, please contact our technical support team at support-India@ustraveldocs.com . As specified at https://ustraveldocs.com/in/expedited-appointment.html , you may only submit an expedite request once per MRV fee. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are opening appointments across all visacategories, but with limited availability based on local conditions and operational capacity. You may apply for a visa interview at whichever location is most convenient and where you are able to find appointment availability. We will continue to open appointments at all locations as staffing and safety considerations allow.
We understand you or the person on whose behalf you are writing are trying to book a visa interview appointment in your local language. If no language appointments are available, please select an English language appointment and request a translator at the time of your interview. We caution that translation services for local languages across India are not available at all posts; if an applicant needs translation in a language other than Hindi, we strongly suggest making an appointment at the consulate nearest the applicant’s home, where there is more likely to be local language translation available.
