My uncle and his wife are 85 and 72 respectively. They wish to apply for tourist visas to spend time with their son and his family who reside in the U.S. Can they both be exempted from attending personal interviews at the consulate?
M.V. Ramanamurthy
If an applicant is above 80 years of age or if they have a visa that has expired within the last year, he or she may qualify for an interview waiver, though may later require an interview depending on circumstances. The 72-year-old applicant would not qualify for this program unless she has a previous 10 year B1/B2 visa which is either still valid or expired in the last year. For more information about whether your family members may qualify for an interview waiver or to apply for a visa and schedule an appointment, please visit www.ustraveldocs.com/in.
My wife and I plan to visit my son and his family in Chicago in June 2018 and stay until September 2018. Our U.S. visas are valid until 2024. Our passports will expire in December 2018. Can we travel on our existing Indian passports and return to India by September 2018?
Bucha Reddy B.
As you and your wife plan to depart the United States from the U.S. before the expiration of your passports, you may continue with your travel plans. Although many visitors travelling to the United States are required to be in possession of passports that are valid for six months beyond the period of their intended stay in the United States, Indian citizens are exempt from the six-month rule and need to only have a passport valid for their intended period of stay. However, if you are transiting through another country, the six month rule may still apply. To be on the safe side, we recommend you renew your passport as early as possible. You can then travel with the expired passport and valid visa, as well as your new passport. Please visit www.travel.state.gov for further information.
Do you have questions about visas or other services provided by the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad? Each alternate Monday, Consulate officials will answer your questions. Email your questions to queries2consul@gmail.com