 So the current status of USA visas in India, especially B1, B2, C1D and other non-immigrant visas and what's the latest status in H1B and Green Card, this is exactly what we're going to be discussing in today's video, keep on watching. Hi guys, my name is Shachi and welcome back to this channel. In this channel, you'll find a lot of useful videos in the US visa process, so make sure to check them out. Now, a lot of developments have been happening in the US visa, you know, space, especially after the new President Joe Biden has taken over the office. So we will be discussing all of that in this video. And so this video is basically going to help you come up to date with everything in the US visa scene and what is the current status of the same. So let's get started. So let's start with the non-immigrant visas in India. And I think this is where most of the people have their queries. This is where I get maximum DMs about. So the good news is that the non-immigrant visa process in India has finally reopened. So sometime in March last year, that is in March 2020, the embassy is shut because of the coronavirus situation and slowly over the last few months, beginning from Jan end onwards, the embassies in India have started reopening and have started or rather restarted the non-immigrant visa process. So when I say non-immigrant visa, this basically comes to the B1B2 visas, the C1B visas. You know, these are the two main categories. Now, as of now, the current situation is that these appointments are being given very actively from the Delhi embassy. So Delhi embassy is where B1B2 visa appointments have started. It's been, I think, about 20, 25 days since the Delhi embassy reopened for the B1B2 visas and the other embassies like Chennai, Kolkata, etc. are expected to reopen it in the coming weeks. And from whatever experience our clients have been having, we have also seen that people are able to get appointments in the Hyderabad embassy as well. So if you're looking to apply for a B1B2 visa, then you can start the process for yourself. You can start the preparation as well as the application process and keep an eye for Delhi embassy because this is where the maximum chances of getting an appointment are. One thing to keep in mind is that the embassies are still functioning in limited capacity. They still haven't opened their full capacity. So it might take you much longer time to get an appointment. So say that earlier if an appointment was available for next week or two weeks later. Right now, the waiting time is up to a month. So make sure to plan in advance because it might take you this much more time to get an appointment for your B1B2 visas. And as and when the embassies are opening, the updates are being given on the US Embassy Facebook page. So you can follow this page to know the latest status. Or of course you can tune in to this channel and we will be bringing all the updates to you as well. So what is the future of B1B2 visas and C1D visas look like in India? So like I said, right now the Delhi embassy is what is in function. The others are expected to follow suit and of course this depends upon the COVID situation. As of now, from whatever information we have, the embassies are planning to reopen in the next few weeks to their full capacity. But if the coronavirus situation worsens or if there are more sanctions or restrictions that are imposed on travel, then we could see another slowing down of the process when it comes to the embassy functioning and when it comes to the non-immigrant visas, especially the tourist visa. Another thing to keep in mind is that there's a lot of talk and discussion about a vaccination passport. So what does this mean? This essentially means that in the coming months it might become a norm or rather it might become compulsory to have the COVID-19 vaccination in place before you can travel to countries such as the US. And this will be an additional document which will be part of your passport and this is being called the vaccination passport. So no firm rules are in place for this yet but this is something which is on the cards. So if you're planning to make a trip to the US or you know travel in the coming months, make sure that you get your vaccination in place. In India, the vaccination is already undergoing. So make sure that you are registered on the app and as and when your turn comes, be proactive in getting your vaccination in place and keep the documentation for it ready because it might just become an additional documentation which might be required for the visa process. So with these updates regarding the B1, B2 visas and the other non-immigrant visas, the question is what can you do about it right now? So these are the three action steps that you can take right now. First one is to keep track of appointments. So keep track of the appointments in Delhi as well as Hyderabad MSc's to see when you're able to actually get a date. So like I said, the appointment time has now become much longer. So it might take you about a month to get an appointment. So be proactive in booking your appointment dates and make sure that you know you are up to date with the availability schedule. The second thing that you can do right now is to keep your DS160 ready. Now DS160 is that six-page document which is extremely important because this is what the visa officer is going to have in front of him when you go for the interview. So filling this accurately and filling it correctly is very important. So you can use this time to keep your DS160 ready and absolutely perfect and ready to go. So on this channel, we actually have a lot of resources to help you with this. You can check out this video which talks about DS160 mistakes and the things that you need to be really, really careful about. If you need more assistance in filling up DS160, check out this course. So this is a video course which basically will help you in filling your DS160. It's a step-by-step guide wherein I fill the form with you and I take you through all the questions and this will ensure that your DS160 is filled accurately without any errors. The third thing that you can do right now is to prepare for the interview. Now the US visa, B1, B2 interviews and the other non-immigrant visa interviews are totally an interview-based process. It'll be all about how convincing you are about your purpose of visit, about your plans in the US and about your ties to home country. So really preparing well for these answers is extremely important. Again on this channel, we have tons of videos to help you with this. So do check out all of these videos and make sure that you prepare yourself well. And if you need my help in customizing these answers and you know, getting ready for the interview, feel free to book a consultation session with me. The link for that will be in the description box below. So this was about the B1, B2 visas. Next let's talk about the student visa. So student visa processes are on in almost all the embassies in India. Students are able to now get their appointment pretty easily across any US embassy in India. So if you're a student planning your higher education in the US, you need not worry much about appointment booking. Go ahead, select your center and get your appointments for your interview. Again, just to be on the safer side, make sure that you do not push it till the last minute. Because sometimes, since the embassies are working in limited capacity, the interview slots might be limited. So again here, make sure that you plan ahead and book your interview dates in advance. And if you need our help in preparing for the interview, check out these videos which talk about the F1 visa process, how to prepare for it and also check out this particular course which is specifically designed for F1 visas. And now let's talk about the H1, B visa. And I think this is where so much has been happening in the last few months. There has been a lot of back and forth. There have been positive developments and not so good developments. But this is what is the current scenario. So Trump had imposed a sanction or rather a ban on issue of new H1, B visas till March 31st, that is March 31st, 2021. And the reason for this was basically to protect American jobs and to give more preference to American citizens. Now, this ban is set to expire on its own on March 31st. And when Joe Biden took over the office, it was kind of expected that he would revoke this ban or revoke this sanction. Now, that hasn't happened and it's right now pretty clear that he's not going to revoke it before March 31st. So now the question essentially comes to that once the ban expires on its own in March 31st, will it be imposed again or will it be totally done away with. So this is, there's a lot of debate regarding this issue and this is what we need to watch out and see what happens. Another important development with respect to H1, B visas is the way the visas are being allocated. So Trump introduced a wage-based system for H1, B instead of a lottery system. So initially the visas were allotted purely on a lottery system and Trump replaced that with a wage-based system, wherein the wage or the salary would be a factor in giving the H1, B visas. And obviously this gave preference to companies who are hiring employers, to companies that were hiring employees at a higher wage or a higher salary. And this is something which will adversely impact the Indian IT companies because a lot of them like TCS and forces hire employees and they go for H1, B visas at a much lower wage scale. So from whatever discussions are going on, it seems like Joe Biden would continue with the wage-based system and the lottery system is something which is going to be done away with. So these developments are on the cards and in the coming weeks, it will be more and more clear how H1, B visas pan out. So there are petitions which are in place now to implement the reforms when it comes to H1, B visas and make the H1, B visa system, you know, more robust and more fair. So how these things pan out, we have to see in the coming weeks. But as of now for the fiscal year 2021, registration for H1, B visas have already begun. So they have released the usual quota of 65,000 H1, B visas for employees and additional 20,000 H1, B visas for people who are going to do their masters in the US. So for 2021, the process is already in place and in the coming few weeks will be more and more clear about the exact guidelines when it comes to H1, B visas. So we're going to be bringing all these updates on this channel, of course. So make sure that you subscribe and stay tuned for that. And in the end, let's talk about the immigration and the green card. So this is where the maximum positive development has been and Joe Biden from his campaign has been very clear that he was pro immigration and these are the first few things that he did when he took over the office. In fact, if you watch the last video of the channel, we talk about all these things in detail. So if you want to get into the details of the new immigration act and you know how exactly immigration and green card situation is going to be dealt with, make sure that you check out this video. But in short to summarize, Joe Biden has removed the ban which was imposed on issue of green card. So Trump again had imposed a ban which said that no new green cards are going to be assured. So Joe Biden on the first day of his office did away with this ban. He has also removed the country-wise quota when it comes to issuing of green cards, which is a huge positive for Indians. Because since the quota lotted to India was small, there was a long waiting time for Indians to get their green card. And in addition, there are more and more positive developments like removing the ban on certain Muslim countries and also allowing families who have been separated for very long to get their visas on priority and so on. So again, if you want to get into the details of the immigration reforms and green card, check out this video and also check out this video by the McBean TV which I will be giving the link in the description box below. So guys, this was a quick update video regarding the status of USA visas in India and also the status of H1B visas and green cards. I hope this has helped you to come up to date with the current situation. And on this channel in the coming few weeks, I have planned lot of videos which will basically help you from the preparation point of view. So these videos will help you prepare for the US visa interview. It will help you prepare with your document checklist, informed filling and so on. So make sure that you subscribe and you press the bell icon so that you don't miss out on any of these updates. If you have any more questions or doubts, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. You can also DM me on Instagram. My Instagram handle is right here. And if you want to book a consultation session with me, it will be a one to one session done on a video call. Do check the link in the description box below. That's all for today. Signing off for now and see you in the next one. Bye.