Mangalore: Procedure to Obtain US Visa Simplified - American Consulate Chief
 
Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
 
Mangalore, Nov 8: "The United States is highly vigilant about fraud and false documents being provided by applicants for US visas and the American consulate works closely with the police to support legitimate travel to the US," said Nicholas Manring, chief of the consular services at American Consulate, Chennai.

He was delivering a talk on US visas at the Meeting Hall, KCCI here on Wednesday, November 7.

He said that each officer at the interview counter takes 100 interviews of visa applicants per day in 5 hours, and each visa interview lasts 2 to 5 minutes depending on the category of the visa.

He also said that the procedure to obtain US visa has been simplified from this September, and applications can be submitted online. The applicant has to login to the website www.ustraveldoc.com and fill the application form. The fees can be paid through electronic money transfer or mobile phone or through Axis Bank branch. Later on, two different schedules for VISA interview will have to be fixed, he said.
 
Giving tips on hassle-free procedure of acquiring US visa, he said that clear reasons for travel should be explained by the applicant. "There is no silver bullet in the process. Visa aspirants must explain their specialization for seeking the specific category of US visa," he said.

He informed that visas issued before Jan 1, 2008 require fingerprint data.

There are currently five US consulates in India viz US Embassy New Delhi, US Consulate Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. To a query on the possibilities of opening one in Bangalore, Manring termed it as a ‘very expensive decision’ but said it 'may' happen.

Under the interview-waiver programme (IWP), children below 14 years have been exempted from going to the American Embassy or the Consulate, he informed.

On the hassles concerning two days taken by the Chennai US Consulate for processing the visa and the inconvenience caused to applicants, Manring said that no changes may take place in the near future as the new software cannot feed all information on first appointment.
 
Adam Kotkin, visa vice counsel with US Consulate was also present.
 
Mohammed Ameen, president, KCCI Mangalore welcomed the gathering. Jeevan Saldanha, honorary secretary, introduced the guests.