Visa Revalidation Progress
Posted Feb 15, 2002

We are pleased to report that the Visa Revalidation Office at the U.S. Department of State's Visa Office is making progress on those cases. According to the most recent announcement, as of early February 2002, they were processing requests for revalidation of visas received in December 2001. The Visa Office projects that they will complete the December cases by the end of February 2002. Additionally, they are continuing to work overtime and utilize additional staff in order to process January cases without undue delay.

Many of our MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom readers are familiar with the process for revalidating visas within the U.S. Visa revalidation is available to an individual with H, L, O, P, I, or E visa in his/her passport who continues to be eligible for a visa in the same category. A person with a valid visa can request revalidation if the existing visa is within 60 days of expiration. Provided one's visa expired less than a year prior, an individual with an expired visa can obtain revalidation. Those who do not meet the requirements for revalidation may still be able to obtain visas but must apply at a U.S. consulate abroad.

The Visa Office is attempting to get visa re-issuance cases back to a processing time of less than four weeks. They hope that this goal will be met by mid-March. The Visa Office advises that it is strictly adhering to the standard requirements described above, as well as the photo specifications. The required photos are passport-style photos, not INS (three-quarter view) photos. Detailed information and instructions regarding revalidation are available at MurthyDotCom or by searching "revalidation" on the U.S. Department of State WebSite.