SANGAREDDY: Officials of the American Consulate warned people aspiring to visit the United States not to furnish wrong details and land in problems. They also advised visa applicants to choose the interview in the preferred language of Telugu instead of English which otherwise would make them lose the chance of getting the visa if they failed to understand and answer questions posed by the Consulate officials.

Officials of the American consulate -- Shivarama Krishna and Nandini Satish – were speaking at an awareness meeting on ‘B-1/ B-2 visa application process for tourists' at Sangareddy on Friday. The officials explained about the process and the documents that are required to apply for a visa. They made it clear that visa is not an entry permit to the US but only allows a person to travel there. “How long a person can stay in the US will be decided by the land protection officer at the airport,” they pointed out adding that the validity of the passport should be at least six months more than the scheduled visit of a particular person to the US.

Those interested in travelling have to pay visa application fee at HDFC Bank, should acquire photograph that meets the specifications, complete the application form DS-160 online, print confirmation page with bar code, fix an appointment at the VSF website and print the appointment letter. Persons can also call the VFS helpline on 0120-6611411 between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. from Monday to Friday except holidays.

Website

Email inquiries can be sent to infoushyderabad@vfshelpline.com. Details about travelling to the US can be had on http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov. Similarly, students can visit http://educationusa.gov. for details.