JOIN USIndians applying for the US visa for the first time will now have to schedule two appointments – one for biometrics collection at an Offsite Facilitation Centre and another for a consular interview in the American Embassy or Consulates.
The US Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday announced a new visa processing system that it claimed would simplify payment of fees and scheduling of appointments through a new website at www.ustraveldocs.com/in. Though first-time applicants would have to seek appointments twice, the new system would provide them options to do it online or by calling the call-centres.
The new system would come into effect on September 26. “One important change is that under the new system, applicants will have to make two appointments. Prior to their visa interviews, applicants will have to visit an Offsite Facilitation Center or OFCs to submit their fingerprints and a photo,” said Julia Stanley, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs of the American Embassy in New Delhi.
The OFCs, located apart from the Embassy and Consulates in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, would reduce congestion at US consular facilities and speed up processing of applications. “Most applicants will need to visit an OFC only once,” she added.
The OFCs would be located at Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.
Stanley said that while the US Embassy in New Delhi would try to lessen the number of appointments the first-timers would have to seek to just one, it cannot be said with certainty when that would happen.
“The good news is that most applicants will only need to submit their fingerprints at the OFC one time. Applicants who are renewing their visas will probably be able to skip this step,” she said.