Simplifying fee payment, appointment schedules in the new website and standardizing rules are the goal of the latest visa processing system revealed by the United States embassy in India. In India, United States visa applicants will be able to pay their application fees through electronic fund transfer from September 26 2012 said by Julia Stanley, United States head of consular affairs while declaring the new system in Delhi.
Finally, the applicants will be able to schedule their appointments through phone or online. Moreover the modern system will also let travel agents and firms to pay multiple costs receipts for some travel of the group. Now, visa applicants’ questions will be able to get an answer through online chat, email and telephone.
Manage by outsourcing partners of the United States embassy together with the consulates, but questions are being established beyond the likely delays that could result from controlling laws on the data transfer from the areas of off-site facilitation centers. Visa applicants will have to schedule two appointments with the new system. The first appointment is prior to their visa interviews at the off-site facilitation center to give their photo and fingerprints and the second one is the visa interview at the embassy or consulate.
The new system will be a two day procedure and could be late in issuance of visa, those people who have a trip to another destination for visa applications like those who apply over blanket L-1 approvals who have to go to Chennai should pay additional travel and hotel fees. Poorvi Chothani, Mumbai-based immigration lawyer said that the group of applicants who are excused from the interviews will acquire in the new process as their fingerprint procedure will not be late because of backlogs at the consular offices.
The British High Commission that announced digital photographs and biometric fingerprinting a for all visa applicants in India way back had encountered initial issues because of legislation that does not allow the collection of biometric data at the visa outsourcing partners’ offices. Hence, the biometric data from the offices of the visa outsourcing partner will be downloaded into storage devices and substantially transfer to the British consular offices, though it cannot be exactly uploaded into the system of the UK Border Agency.
Based on the UK authorities, it will direct to a minimum delay of two days in releasing visas to visitors coming from India. Stanley of the United States embassy said that they are aware of the Indian laws on data shifting and they are searching for solutions to that, and the two appointments on different days for several applicants is also being looked into. To lessen congestion at the American embassy and consulate and to increase effectiveness, the new process is largely seen as an effort.
Cyrus Mehta, New York based immigration lawyer said that the B-1/B-2 visa can still be denied promptly if the consular officer conclude that the applicants is an attempting immigrant, furthermore, it is hoped that the settlement of H-1B and L visa will enhance more.
REFERENCES:
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-09/news/33697726_1_visa-applicants-vfs-visa-interviews
http://article.wn.com/view/2012/09/09/Will_the_new_US_visa_system_lead_to_delays_and_higher_costs/
http://www.google.com.ph/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allvoices.com%2Fnews%2F12939418-will-the-new-us-visa-system-lead-to-delays-and-higher-costs&ei=8bxfUMy5CKH6iwLjnoHYDw&usg=AFQjCNEbRX5-NBxdfbFrxHaFm0xGE51ePA
