Report from U.S. Consulates in India and VFS Global Services
from Murthy Immigration Services Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India
Posted Nov 02, 2007
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As a member of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), we at Murthy Immigration Services Pvt. Ltd. (MISPL), were able to visit the U.S. Consulate in Chennai and later attend a visa guidance program on October 31, 2007. Some useful information from this visit follows.
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VFS to Launch Star and Stripes Lounge in Chennai & Mumbai - Nov 5, 2007
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As a member of the IACC, we at MISPL learned during our visit to the Consulate in Chennai that  Visa Facilitation Services, known widely as VFS Global Services, is opening a lounge service as of November 5, 2007. The Stars and Stripes Lounge will provide a convenient waiting area for visa applicants and persons accompanying them in both Chennai and Mumbai. This facility will include a comfortable waiting area, a snack counter, restrooms, a changing facility, a baggage storage area, and free coach transfer between the lounge and the consulate for those attending their U.S. visa interviews.
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Some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may be aware of the security regulations that do not permit applicants or any persons accompanying them to wait in or around the consulate gates. Visa applicants are also prohibited from carrying any items other than their passports and visa-related documents. This facility will be a welcomed option, especially for visa applicants who travel to the consulates from outside Chennai and Mumbai. Individuals will be able to safely store their belongings at the lounge and their accompanying relatives and/or friends may wait there comfortably while applicants are shuttled to the consulate for their interviews.
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VFS has indicated that this is an OPTIONAL service, but applicants are encouraged to use this service to avoid inconvenience both to themselves and the consulates. The fee charged for this service is Rs 200 per person, ages 5 years and over.
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The lounge at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai is located at :

U.S. Visa Application Centre
No.14, New No.4, Sadasivam Street
Gopalapuram
Chennai - 600 086
Opposite National Public School

The lounge at the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai is located at :

Tirupati Apartments
Adjoining the U.S. Visa Application Centre
Bhulabhai Desai Road
Opposite Mahalakshmi Temple
Mumbai  400026

More information can be found by visiting the VFS WebSite at (https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/Home.aspx) or by for calling their helpline at 044.4231.6767 for Chennai, or 022.6654.7600 for Mumbai.
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New Fingerprint Scanning to be Introduced Soon
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U.S. consulates plan to shift to a ten-fingerprint scanning system by December 2007, as opposed to the existing two-fingerprint scanning system. The introduction of this new system is expected to briefly slow the visa processing time. Beginning December, the U.S. Consulate, Chennai is going to reduce visa appointments until the new fingerprinting procedure is in place and running smoothly.
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Clarification on Erroneous "Reaffirmation" Status Displayed on USCIS WebSite
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Consular officials clarified that the status of some H1B petitions originally returned to the USCIS for review were erroneously updated as “Reaffirmed” on the USCIS WebSite. When this happened, automatic eMail messages sent to petitioners described the status of such petitions as reaffirmed. If an H1B is reaffirmed, according to consular officials, one should wait until s/he receives another I-797 from the USCIS before proceeding further.
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Change in Eligibility Criteria for Business Executive Program (BEP)
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The U.S. consulates in India offer BEP registration to some companies who meet certain requirements that used to include a minimum of 100 visa applications a year. Membership at BEP entitles a company to certain benefits, like early appointments and speedy processing. According to consular officials in Chennai, the requirement of 100 visa applications has been reduced to 25 visa applications yearly. This is a welcomed measure that will benefit many companies previously ineligible for this program, due to the minimum requirement.
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Conclusion
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We at Murthy Immigration Services would like to express our thanks to the senior officials at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, the VFS, and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. With their help, we are able to bring these updates to readers of MurthyDotCom and the MurthyBulletin, and to U.S. visa applicants in general.