Readers may recall that the processing times noted above only pertain to the USCIS processing portion of the overall US visa process. Therefore, readers should not mistake the processing times noted above for the time it takes to actually acquire a visa. After a visa petition has been adjudicated by the officers at the USCIS, if approved, the case file is forwarded to the National Visa Center where it is then sent on to the US Embassy, American Institute, or US Consulate with appropriate Consular jurisdiction. This phase of the process is referred to as Consular Processing. Consular Processing can sometimes be quite quick while, in some cases, the process can be rather cumbersome if the facts of the case are extremely complex.

For related information please see: K1 Visa Thailand.

Holidays 2011

Date	Day	Holiday	American/Indian
December 31, 2010*	Friday	New Year’s Day	American
January 14, 2011	Friday	Makar Sankaranti (for Ahmedabad USCS only)	Indian
January 17, 2011	Monday	Martin Luther King’s B’Day	American
January 26, 2011	Wednesday	Republic Day	Indian
February 21, 2011	Monday	Washington’s Birthday	American
April 22, 2011	Friday	Good Friday	Indian
May 30, 2011	Monday	Memorial Day	American
July 4, 2011	Monday	Independence Day	American
August 15, 2011	Monday	Independence Day	Indian
August 19, 2011	Friday	Parsi New Year	Indian
August 31, 2011	Wednesday	Ramzan-Id (Id-ul-Fitar) (Not for Ahmedabad USCS)	Indian
September 1, 2011	Thursday	Ganesh Chaturthi	Indian
September 5, 2011	Monday	Labor Day	American
October 6, 2011	Thursday	Dussehra	Indian
October 10, 2011	Monday	Columbus Day	American
October 26, 2011	Wednesday	Diwali (Laxmi Pujan)	Indian
October 27, 2011	Thursday	Diwali (Balipratipada)	Indian
November 7, 2011	Monday	Bakri Id (Id-ul-Zua)	Indian
November 11, 2011	Friday	Veteran’s Day	American
November 24, 2011	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day	American
December 26, 2011**	Friday	Christmas Day	American

* In lieu of January 1, 2011 (Saturday)
** In lieu of December 25, 2011 (Sunday)

Note: The Embassy and Consulates are closed to the public on the last Wednesday of every month.

Those seeking Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, US Passports, or new visa pages for a previously issued American passport are well advised to contact an American Citizen Services Section of the nearest Post. In many cases, an American’s request can be better handled by making an appointment online with the local Post.

For those wishing to visit the homepage of the official website of the US Consulate in Mumbai please click HERE.

Those seeking non-immigrant visas such as the US tourist visa (B-2 category), the US student visa (F-1 category), the US exchange visitor visa (J-1 category), and/or the US Business Visa (B-1 category) are likely required to process their application through a Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) Unit at an American Post abroad. It should be noted that non-immigrant visa applicants are generally subject to Consular scrutiny pursuant to section 214(b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. Meanwhile, those seeking immigrant visas such as an IR-1 visa or a CR-1 visa will likely process their request through an Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit of a US Mission abroad. For processing purposes, the K-1 visa application, a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is treated much the same way as an immigrant visa application.

Those seeking an EB-5 visa or an L-1 visa must process an immigration petition through USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) prior to processing a visa application at a Post abroad.

For related information please see: K3 Visa India.

Date	Day	Holiday	Type
December 31,  2010*	Friday	New Year’s Day	American
January 17	Monday	Martin Luther King’s Birthday	American
January 26	Wednesday	Republic Day	Indian
February 21	Monday	Washington’s Birthday	American
April 22	Friday	Good Friday	Indian
May 30	Monday	Memorial Day	American
July 4	Monday	Independence Day	American
August 15	Monday	Independence Day	Indian
August 22	Monday	Janamashtami	Indian
August 31	Wednesday	Idu’l Fitr	Indian
September 5	Monday	Labor Day	American
October 6	Thursday	Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami)	Indian
October 10	Monday	Columbus Day	American
October 26	Wednesday	Diwali	Indian
October 27	Thursday	Govardhan Puja	Indian
November 10	Thursday	Guru Nanak’s Birthday	Indian
November 11	Friday	Veterans’ Day	American
November 24	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day	American
December 6	Tuesday	Muharram	Indian
December 26**	Monday	Christmas Day	American

*    in lieu of January 1, 2011 (Saturday)
**  in lieu of December 25, 2011 (Sunday)

Those seeking services such as the issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US  Passport, or additional visa pages for a previously issued American passport are well advised to contact the American Citizen Services Section of an American Mission abroad. In  many cases, Americans seeking such services can make an appointment in advance. Making an advance appointment can greatly facilitate the processing of requests as Consular Officers are provided with an opportunity to foresee the customers needs when an appointment is made in advance. In order to make an appointment online one may be required to register an appointment on the US Mission’s official website.

Those seeking the homepage of the official website of the United States Embassy in New Dehli, India should click HERE.

Those seeking visas such as the US Tourist Visa (B-2 visa), US Student Visa (F-1 visa), US Exchange Visitor Visa (J-1 visa), or the US Business Visa (B-1 visa) may be required to process their visa application through a Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) Unit at a US Consulate abroad. In many cases, such applications are scrutinized pursuant to section 214b of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act which can create difficulties for those applicants who cannot show “strong ties” to India and “weak ties” to the United States of America.

Those Indian Nationals with Lawful Permanent Residence or American Citizens wishing to obtain an IR-1 visa or a CR-1 visa for an Indian loved one will likely be required to process their visa application through an Immigrant Visa Unit abroad. Unless it is possible to execute a Direct Consular Filing for such a visa, it is likely that such a visa application would only be adjudicated after the initial adjudication of an immigration petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). For application processing purposes it should be noted that the K1 visa, although a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is generally treated  in much the same manner as an immigrant visa application.

Those Indian Nationals seeking an EB-5 visa for immigrant investment purposes or an L-1 visa for an intracompany transferee are generally required to process an immigration petition at USCIS prior to visa application abroad.

For related information please see: K1 Visa India.

New Delhi – In an effort to make the visa application process more convenient for all Indians, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates General in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad now accept visa applications from across India at all visa facilities, regardless of the applicant’s home address or city of residence. This is part of Mission India’s ongoing effort to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States.

Following the opening of Consulate General Hyderabad in 2008, the U.S. Mission has looked for ways to best capture the dynamism of India’s growth across the nation. As a result, we also redesigned our consular districts. Therefore, effective immediately, our consular districts will be reorganized as follows: Embassy Delhi: Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bhutan; Consulate Mumbai: Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Diu and Daman, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Consulate Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh, Orissa; Consulate Chennai: Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Consulate Kolkata: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal

U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said, “With these changes, we believe our Consulates General and our Embassy in New Delhi will be even better positioned to support and serve Indian visa applicants, as well as American citizens and businesses throughout India.”

Actions such as those noted above can have a tremendous positive impact upon those Indian Nationals seeking United States Immigration benefits as the ability to process such travel documents at any Post in India generally results in a great deal more convenience compared to the policy of keeping Consular jurisdictions mutually exclusive.

Each year, many Indian Nationals seek visa benefits of the United States of America. While some may seek US family visa benefits in order to reunite with loved ones. Other applicants seek non-immigrant visas for short terms stays in the USA. Still others seek employment based visas to the US such as the L1 visa. Meanwhile, there are some who opt to seek United States Permanent Residence by investment through use of the EB-5 visa program.

Policies such as the aforementioned one adopted by the US Mission in India should be applauded as this shows a sincere effort on the part of the Mission in India to take measures which may be beneficial to those seeking visas to America.

For related information please see: EB-5 Visa India.

Foreign funds have so far in 2010 bought shares worth a record $28.3 billion, in addition to last year’s $17.5 billion. The rupee has gained 5 percent so far this year.

In terms of international trade, the announcement of a declining dollar could be viewed negatively. However, a comparatively weak United States dollar could turn out to be a boon for those Indian nationals interested in making a qualified investment in the USA while also accruing the benefit of United States Lawful Permanent Residence.

The EB-5 visa program was designed to provide a travel document and Lawful Permanent Residence to those who make an investment in the USA which meets the eligibility criteria set forth by American Immigration authorities such as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State. Those interested in obtaining an EB-5 visa should note that the investment in the United States must be substantial and should exceed at least five hundred thousand United States dollars ($500,000), or one million dollars (1,000,000) if the investment is not a “targeted” investment. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status means that the Indian national in said status has the right to reside and work in the United States permanently. LPR status is highly sought after by those in countries outside of the United States since the benefit is substantial, but immigration law may preclude many visa seekers from obtaining a travel document that confers Lawful Permanent Residence (also referred to as “Green Card” status).

Some individuals have posed the question: “Does the United States allow Citizenship by investment?” The simple answer is: no. However, the EB-5 visa could be viewed as a means of setting oneself on the “path to citizenship” by investment. This is due to the fact that an EB5 visa holder, who meets the legal criteria, may be able to apply for naturalization to US Citizenship after remaining in the United States for a statutorily prescribed period of time in lawful permanent resident status.

The American immigration process and the laws which support the United States Immigration system are complex and can be frustrating to those who are unaccustomed to American law and procedure. For this reason, some individuals and families opt to utilize an American attorney to assist with the process. That said, those interested in retaining professional assistance are well advised to check the credentials of those claiming expertise in American immigrations matters as only a licensed American attorney is entitled to provide advice and counsel in matters pertaining to United States Immigration law.

For related information please see: EB-5 Visa India.

The U.S. Consulate General, the Consular/Visa Section, the Public Affairs Office at the American Center comprising of The American Library(AIRC), USIEF(United States India Educational Foundation) and the United States Foreign Commercial Service at Kolkata, India will observe the following American and Indian holidays in the year 2010.

DATE	DAY	HOLIDAY	TYPE
January 1	Friday	New Year’s Day	American
January 18	Monday	Martin Luther King’s Birthday	American
January 20	Wednesday	Shree Panchami	Indian
January 26	Tuesday	Republic Day	Indian
February 15	Monday	Washington’s Birthday	American
April 02	Friday	Good Friday	Indian
April 15	Thursday	Bengali New Year	Indian
May 31	Monday	Memorial Day	American
July 5	Monday*	Independence Day	American
September 6	Monday	Labor Day	American
October 11	Monday	Columbus Day	American
October 14	Thursday	Durga Puja(Saptami)	Indian
October 15	Friday	Durga Puja(Ashtami)	Indian
October 22	Friday	Lakshmi Puja	Indian
November 05	Friday	Kali Puja	Indian
November 11	Thursday	Veterans’ Day	American
November 17	Wednesday	Id-Ul-Zoha	Indian
November 25	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day	American
December 17	Friday	Muharram	Indian
December 24	Friday**	Christmas Day	American

*In lieu of Sunday , 7/4/10
** In lieu of Saturday, 12/25/10

Some of the popular reasons why American Citizens travel to a US Consular Post or a US Embassy overseas is to obtain new passports, visa pages, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, or notarizations from the American Citizen Services Section of the Consulate. Those seeking such services are well advised to check the operating hours of the American Citizen Services Section of the Consulate as well as the holiday closing schedule in order to forestall a futile trip to the Post due to unforeseen closure.

It should also be noted that many United States Embassies and United States Consulates allow those with business at the post to book appointments online. This provides the Consular staff with an opportunity to better prepare to provide appropriate services to those seeking Consular assistance abroad.

Those seeking a visa to the United States do not deal with the American Citizen Services section of most US Consulates and/or Embassies as American visa applications are generally adjudicated by either the Immigrant visa unit or the non-immigrant visa unit (generally for purposes of Consular adjudication of a visa application the K1 visa is considered an Immigrant visa).