New US visa processing system for India

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The US Embassy has launched a new visa processing system to enable quicker processing. Both the visa fees payment & the appointment schedules have been simplified. 

As per the new system, those who are applying for a US visa for the first time will have to schedule 2 appointments:
(1)    Registration of fingerprints
(2)    Collection of photograph
The fingerprints registration will be done at an Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) before the applicant’s visit for the visa interview at the US  Embassy or US Consulate. Since the OFCs will be located at various places convenient for applicants, it will greatly reduce the processing speed as well as congestion at the embassy.

As for US visa application fees, an applicant will now be able to pay the application fees directly via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) or via a mobile phone. Another option is to pay the nonimmigrant visa application fees at a designated branch of Axis Bank or Citibank.

New Procedure on How to apply for US visa
  1. Log on to: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/index.html
  2. Schedule your appointments online for both biometrics (collection of fingerprints) and visa interview
  3. Get information in English or Hindi at the website for details about how to fill the visa application form, what documents are required, etc.
Once you make your visa application fee payment, within about 1 hour you will receive a text message to activate your fee receipt & you can schedule your appointments.

Once the processing of your US visa application is successful, your visas & other requisite documents will be delivered to pick-up locations at various cities in India within 1 week. There will be no extra charges for this & you can select the pick-up location. Furthermore, you can even track the progress of your visa application online. Once your documents are ready for pick-up, you will be informed by email and/or SMS alerts. 

Offsite Location Centers in India
At present, the OFCs in India are:
  1. New Delhi: S - 1 American Plaza, (Hotel Eros Managed by Hilton), International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110019.
  2. Mumbai: Trade Center, Gr. Floor, G Block, BandraKurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai – 400041.
  3. Chennai: No 3, Cenotaph Road, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600018.
  4. Kolkata: Jasmine Tower, 31, Shakespeare Sarani (1st Floor), Kolkata – 700017.
  5. Hyderabad: 502, Gowra Grand, S.P.Road, Begumpet, Secunderabad – 500003.
Timings at all the OFCs:
  • Monday through Friday – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Sunday – 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Holidays: both U.S. and India holidays.
Contact Phone Number for US visa application process information
In India:
91-120-660-2222
91-22-6720-9400

In USA
1-310-616-5424
Email: supportindia@ustraveldocs.com
Website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/index.html

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