In a positive development–from Indian immigrants’ viewpoints–the US has made the visa application procedure for qualified Indians, keen to visit the nation, much easier and simpler. Now it is not obligatory for the children below 7 years to appear for a visa interview (non-immigrant), post the submission of a completed visa form. Further, under the new arrangement, no additional fees for visa will be charged–provided the candidates are re-applying after their immigration visa application had previously been put on hold, or is up in the air.
Currently, the Mumbai edition of the US Consular Office has overall 40 windows to reorganize and simplify the visa processing. This has significantly helped cut down the time period also. While earlier, the waiting time period for a visa interview with a Consular Office official was nearly three hours. Now the same is just an hour.
As the people from India are not part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) of the US, in case they want to travel to the country, they have to file an application for a visitor permit before their travel. The said VWP simplifies and eases the process of overseas travel to the overseas destination by making it possible for the people of the 3-dozen involved nations to travel to the US for stays of three months or 90 days or less, though they do not have to get a visa for the said purpose. Britain, France, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand are some of the nations which currently are the beneficiaries of the program in question.
However, it is still mandatory for the nationals of the nations under the VWP to duly apply for the online application of a given automatic system even as the same comes to a conclusion on the eligibility, or otherwise, of the travelers to arrive in the country, via the VWP.
A person requires presenting the ESTA in case he has the citizenship or is a qualified citizen of a VWP country, presently he doesn’t have a visitor’s permit, his travel to the US is for three months or 90 days or less than this, he intends to visit the nation for the purpose of business/trade or pleasure.
