India

Visa appointments now required for in-person filings in San Francisco

27 Jan 16

INDIA

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The process of filing in person for an Indian visa in San Francisco has changed and now requires that individuals who want to file in person book an appointment before appearing at Cox and Kings Global Services (CKGS), the Indian government’s visa services provider.

What does the change mean? Walk-ins without an appointment will no longer be accepted. The change only affects individuals who want to file their applications in person.

  • Implementation timeframe: Immediate and ongoing.
  • Visas/permits affected: All visas.
  • Who is affected: Applicants seeking to file in person in San Francisco.
  • Impact on processing times: The change will not affect actual processing times, but will impact the procedures for filing applications in person and could lengthen that process depending on how far in advance appointments are booked.
  • Business impact: Affected applicants should be aware that they must complete a visa application on the CKGS website before they will be able to book an appointment.
  • Next steps: Applicants affected by the change may wish to contact their BAL team for assistance.

Background: The change is part of a transition to CKGS which took over the Indian government’s visa services in the U.S. in 2014. In the past, applicants who wanted to file in person could walk in without an appointment or could book an appointment independently of the application process.

CKGS is now requiring that all in-person applicants in San Francisco book an appointment. In addition, the online appointment booking page is only available after an applicant completes the CKGS application.

BAL Analysis: The procedural change may inconvenience in-person applicants. The change has only been implemented in San Francisco at this point. BAL is monitoring these changes and will follow up as additional information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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