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12 Jun 13 - India - The Indian government is changing companies for its visa acceptance facilities. No formal instructions have been given. We have heard this will take affect Jul 1st and expect major delays with Indian visas submitted in the month of July.
12 Jun 13 - US Passport Applications - The Chicago Passport Office has announced that beginning June 24th they are going to be requiring all passport applications be completed online. Our instructions do direct applicants to the online application.
02 May 13 - Brazil Technical Visa - Applicants traveling to Brazil for less than 90 days to do physical hands on work or training no longer require permission from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor or a criminal record. In place of these an invitation from the company in Brazil, containing the stamp and CNPJ number, which are given when a company registers with the Brazilian government, is required. The invitation MUST state that the traveler will be paid by their employer in the U.S. and not by the company in Brazil.
15 Apr 13 - New Chicago Address - This Wednesday, Apr 17th we will be moving our Chicago office to 79 W. Monroe St. # 1225, Chicago IL 60603.
12 Apr 13 - Australia - The Australian government has discontinued the long term business Electronic Travel Authority. All ETA's are now issued for 1 year multiple entries.
11 Apr 13 - Canada - For those nationalities that do require a visa for Canada, they must either apply online or in person at the New York or Los Angeles Consulates. Third parties are no longer allowed to submit applications.
11 Apr 13 - Russian Holidays - The Russian visa offices will be closed May 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and May 10th. We expect this to delay processing by at least a week. Please plan for 2 to 3 week rush processing and 4 to 5 week regular processing until June.
25 Mar 13 - Return Shipping Rate Increase - We will be raising the charge for shipping work back Federal Express Priority Overnight on April 1st to $30 and for Saturday delivery to $60. Clients are always welcome to include their own labels and be responsible for monitoring their own tracking. Shipping costs continue to increase and the amount of time spent crises managing deliveries has sky rocketed.
07 Mar 13 - China - More of the Chinese Consulates are enforcing their jurisdictional rules, meaning they will only accept applications from the residents of the specific states they cover. This means we must process Chinese visas at all of the various consulates. Some consulates like New York have their own individual application that must be used. Others, like Houston will not allow any hand writing on the application at all and many are starting to not offer any rush processing. We recommend that you go to our website each time you have a client requesting a visa to be sure you get the latest information and application forms.
24 Jan 13 - Chinese New Year Holiday - The Chinese consulates will be closed Feb 11th , 12th and 13th for Chinese New Year. Usually when they open back up there are no rush services for the remainder of the week. Anyone traveling to China before Feb 23rd should have their applications to us by Feb 4th. Other Asian countries usually also have a 1 or 2 day holiday including, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
20 Dec 12 - Holidays - Perry International, most embassies, consulates and US Passport Offices will be closed Dec 24th, and 25th and Jan 1st. Some consulates and embassies will also be closed Dec 26th and 31st.
04 Dec 12 - Russian Holidays - In addition to being closed on Dec 25th for Christmas, the Russian embassy, consulates and offices that assist with invitations will be closed from Dec 31 through Jan 7th. This will also delay processing when they reopen and we would recommend anyone planning to travel to Russia before Feb 1st get their visa applications submitted in the next few weeks.
15 Nov 12 - Brazil - The Brazilian consulate in Chicago has begun accepting applications from third parties. They are accepting 20 applications a day and are trying to get them finished in 2 to 3 weeks. Work submitted yesterday is estimated to be finished on Dec 3rd. We are submitting work based on when it came in and should be caught up by the end of the week. This was the last Brazilian consulate to start accepting applications from third parties. Processing times at different consulates vary from 2 weeks to over a month.
06 Nov 12 - Brazil - The Chicago consulate is accepting applications only if applicants go in person to the consulate to apply. San Francisco and Los Angeles are still not accepting applications. The rest of the Brazilian consulates have started accepting applications but they are advising of processing times of 20 business days or more.
06 Nov 12 - Argentina Entry Fee - Beginning Nov 1, 2012 for arrivals to Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, and December 28, 2012, if the port of entry is Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini , all U.S. visitors must pay the reciprocity rates of US $160 through an online system BEFORE entering Argentina. This can be done at https://virtual.provinciapagos.com.ar/ArgentineTaxes/. you will need to first signup then complete the form with the corresponding personal and credit card information. Print the payment receipt. On arrival in Argentina, this printed receipt must be presented at immigration. MORE
02 Nov 12 - Brazil - Most Brazilian consulates in the U.S. have announced that due to severe technical difficulties that affect the Brazilian Consular Service throughout the world, they are suspending the issuing of the all types of visas. They are not offering any further explanation or when processing might resume. The few Brazilian consulates who have not yet announced this are expected to in the coming days.
02 Nov 12 - Washington DC processing - Most embassies and federal offices in Washington DC did open back up yesterday and visas were mostly finished as expected. Flights and Federal Express are still delayed. Many Federal Express packages did not make it out of Washington DC last night and Fedex is working to catch up on deliveries in the DC area.
02 Nov 12 - New York processing - Some offices have opened up. Some packages shipped on Friday to the New York area were delivered today. We are anticipating a full week delay on any processing that must be done through a New York consulate.
30 Oct 12 - Brazil - The Chicago consulate has advised that they are having technical computer problems and all visa applications are on hold. So far Houston and San Francisco have not advised of problems but may. The consulates in New York and Washington DC are still shutdown from the storm. We will keep you updated on Brazilian visa processing as we find out more.
29 Oct 12 - Hurricane Sandy - The Washington DC and New York metro area's are shut down today and tomorrow and we will see how things look for Wednesday. We did work on Friday to try and get out what work we could. At this time any work processed through Washington DC or New York will be delayed at least 2 days.
19 Oct 12 - Fedex National Service Disruption - The Memphis hub and flight operations experienced substantial disruptions last night due to severe thunderstorms. Potential delays are possible for shipment deliveries across the U.S.
10 Aug 12 - Ramadan Holiday - Embassies and Consulates of many Moslem countries will be closed Aug 20, 21, 22 for the Eid Al-Fitr Holiday marking the end of Ramadan
25 Jul 12 - Chinese Visas - All of the Chinese consulates in the U.S. have announced new visa requirements as of Aug 1st for business and tourist visas for U.S. passport holders. They are emphasizing any fake invitation letter or other fraud will be rejected. Tourist applications will now require Hotel Confirmations and a Flight Itinerary. Business applications will need to have an invitation that include the following items: (A) Personal information of the applicant: name, passport number, gender, date of birth, (B) Information concerning the applicants visit to China: purpose of the visit, date of arrival and leaving, places to visit, relationship between the applicant and the inviter, and who will bear the cost of the applicants accommodations in China. (C) Information of the inviter: name of the unit, phone number, address, seal and signature of the legal representative.
27 Jun 12 - Spain - The consulate in Chicago has gone back to their old appointment system for those applicants who need a visa.
27 Jun 12 - Bangladesh - The visa fee for US passport holders has gone up to $160.
27 Jun 12 - Azerbaijan - The embassy has outsourced the visa processing to a third party and the consular fee has gone up to $180.
22 Jun 12 - India - Visas issued by the Houston Consulate will no longer have a stamp or signature on the visa. This will be rolled out in all jurisdictions shortly. These visas are valid, and will be accepted at all ports of entry in India.
22 Jun 12 - India - Each applicant must sign COMPLETELY inside the box on Page 1 below their picture. Minors who cannot write their name can use a thumbprint in black ink instead. If any part of the signature or thumbprint is outside of the box, the application will be rejected. At the bottom of Page 2, the applicant must sign. If applicant is a minor under 18, both parents or legal guardians must sign.
22 Jun 12 - China - Minors under the age of 18 must have both parents sign the visa application in addition to the applicants signature if old enough to sign. If only one parent can sign they will need a court order showing sole custody of the minor, a death certificate, or birth certificate only listing one parent.
22 Jun 12 - China - Applicants with passports from Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland will now be required to make a personal appearance at a Chinese Consulate to apply for their visa. They will be fingerprinted and should be prepared to bring with them Hotel reservations, Bank Statements, Airline Tickets and Original Invitations for Business visas.
22 Jun 12 - Brazil - The Brazilian Consulates have resumed visa processing. There may still be delays.
19 Jun 12 - Brazil - The consulate staff are on strike and no visa applications are being processed until further notice.
07 Jun 12 - Spain - The consulates have raised their visa fee for student visas for US citizens to $160.
06 Jun 12 - Russia - The Russia visa offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday the 11th and 12th. We are estimating any Russian visa applications not yet at our office will be ready Jun 20th at the earliest if the rush fee is paid. Please plan accordingly.
04 Jun 12 - Nigeria, Sierra Leone - Both have raised their visa fees to reciprocate for the U.S. raising their visa fees.
01 Jun 12 - Passport Applications - We would like to remind everyone that individual checks or money orders made out to Department of State are required with each passport application. If the proper check or money order is not included with the passport application, we will get a money order on your behalf and there will be a $10 charge for this service.
26 May 12 - Service Charges - Last year we restructured our service charges to try and simplify them with a standard service charge of $78, a discounted rate of $63 for applications submitted to an Embassy in Washington DC, and a discounted rate of $43 for applications submitted to a consulate in Chicago. We have determined that our discount for work in Chicago was to much and we will be increasing that rate to $50 per application on June 1st. Our discounted rate of $63 for work in Washington DC and standard $78 rate for work processed in other cities will remain the same. We have seen the required amount of work involved with each application continue to increase. India now requires that we scan in each application before submission. Venezuela requires a photo be scanned and emailed. The Chinese consulates have gone jurisdictional requiring work get sent to many offices instead of one. We have had to hire more staff to handle the same volume of work.
22 May 12 - Russia - The new outsourcing company that Russia has handling their visas is having great difficulty. Rush processing has gone from 4 to 7 business days, and regular processing is up to 3 weeks. We also continue to run into many issues with the online visa applications. Russian visas require 2 to 3 times the amount of work that most visas require. Previously, applicants could try and complete their own visa applications or have Perry International complete them for an additional fee. We are raising our fee for Russian visas and our service charge will now include Perry International completing the required online application. The service charge for assisting with the Russian visa and completing the online application will be $125. If you work with many Russian visas and are confident that you can complete applications with 0 errors, we can discount our service charge to $100.
17 May 12 - Nato Summit in Chicago - Many consulates in Chicago will be closed Friday and Monday because of the NATO summit. We expect visa application processing to be delayed by a couple of days for any work submitted to a consulate in Chicago.
24 Apr 12 - Brazil - The Brazilian government has raised their visa fees for US citizens and the processing time has gone up to 3 weeks
09 Apr 12 - China - For business visas the Chinese consulates have begun requesting an invitation from the company or organization being visited in China. A copy is acceptable.
04 Apr 12 - U.S. Visa Fee Increase - The U.S. is increasing its business and tourist visa fee from $140 to $160. We expect many countries including China, Brazil and Russia to increase their own fees in response to the U.S. increase.
04 Apr 12 - Russia - The Russian Embassy has decided to outsource the visa process to a third party beginning April 10th. At this time the only change is that the visa fee will go up $30.
12 Mar 12 - India - The new visa application is now in place at all consulates. Old applications will be accepted at the Chicago consulate until Friday. All other consulates must have the new application form.
15 Feb 12 - British Passports - The United Kingdom will no longer allow third parties to submit PASSPORT application for British passport renewals. This will not affect any visa processing at the UK consulate, nor will it affect any US passport applications. This is only for those few clients who needed assistance with British passport renewals.
15 Feb 12 - India - The Indian Visa Offices have a new visa application that they are introducing one office at a time. They have begun with the Washington DC office. They will stop accepting the old applications 2 weeks after the new ones are available for that office. We recommend all applicants wait to complete the online form until they are ready to submit their applications. This will help prevent the wrong forms from being used.
07 Feb 12 - China - The Chinese embassy in Washington DC has stopped accepting applications for anyone that is not within their jurisdiction. This means we are submitting Chinese visa applications at the various consulates around the country, that have jurisdiction over a persons state of residence. MANY CONSULATES ARE VERY PARTICULAR. Hand written forms are no longer accepted and application forms MUST be completely and accurately completed on a computer. You will need the LATEST version of Adobe Reader in order to complete this form online and print it. Section 1.11 MUST have a drivers license or state ID number. Section 2.5 MUST contain an actual address and phone number of either a hotel or sponsoring organization in China. Section 3.6 MUST always contain information on parents, and spouse, if married. Any fields that are TRULY not relevant must contain N/A. Consulates are rejecting anything that is not 100% complete.
25 Jan 12 - Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka now requires an electronic visa called an Elactronic Travel Authority. We can assist with these and have updated our website for applicants to complete a form online for us to apply for this ETA.
20 Jan 12 - Chinese New Year Holiday - The Chinese consulates and a number of others that celebrate the lunar or Chinese New Year will be closed Jan 23rd, 24th and some even the 25th.
20 Dec 11 - Russian Holiday - The Russian consulates will be closed from Jan 2nd until Jan 10th.
02 Nov 11 - November Holidays - The Saudi Arabian offices will be closed the entire week of Nov 7th - 11th. Many consulates and the US Passport Offices will be closed Nov 11th for Veterans day and Nov 24th for Thanksgiving. Many consulates will also be closed Friday Nov 25th. Russian offices are closed Nov 4th. Indian offices will be closed Nov 7th and Nov 10th.
28 Oct 11 - Vietnam - The visa fee is going up $10 and the processing time is going down to an estimated 5 business days.
23 Sep 11 - China - The Chinese consulates will be closed Oct 3rd, 4th and 5th. Any Chinese visas needed for travel before Oct 10th, must be to our office by next Wednesday Sep. 28th.
21 Sep 11 - Pakistan - 4 photos are now required witht he visa application form and they are estimating visa processing to take between 4 and 6 weeks.
16 Sep 11 - China - Beginning Sep 19th hand written Chinese visa applications will NOT be accepted.
25 Aug 11 - Ramadan Holiday - Next week is the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Some embassies, such as Saudi Arabia, will be closed the entire week. Embassies of most other Muslim countries will only be open 1 or 2 days. Some at the end of the week and some at the beginning.
20 Jul 11 - New Service Charges - On August 1st we will be restructuring our service charges. We have decided to simplify our fee structure at this time. Visas processed in Chicago, which were either $40, $45 or $50 depending on the specific details of the application, will be $43. Visas processed in Washington DC will be $63 instead of $55 $60 or $65, and for visas processed in any other city the fee will be $78. We continue NOT to use the standard, rush or emergency based fee structure, because we always try to process the visas as fast as the consulates will process them. We only double our service charge if we need to have someone wait and process a visa in a matter of hours. Applications are becoming more and more complicated, requiring much more hands on help, from Russia's new online application to China replacing a 2 page form with a 4 page one. For most companies this will probably produce an increase in yearly spend on visas. However, it is not an across the board raising of fees and we believe the simplified pricing will make communication about overall costs easier.
07 Jul 11 - Russia - The photo must fit the designated area of the application by the exact size. The photo must be glued on the form. Please do not use a tape or stapler to affix your photo.
07 Jul 11 - Russian Visa Application - The Russian government has a new visa application. Beginning July 1st all applications will need to be completed online via a Russian government website and then printed and signed. We have reviewed the new application and it is going to be a nightmare. There is no way to modify the application after it is completed so we cannot go in and correct mistakes as we can with some other applications. The online form also requires applicants enter their confirmation and voucher or invitation #'s onto the application. Many times applicants do not have this when they complete the application. MORE
19 Apr 11 - United Kingdom - The UKBA online visa application system will be temporarily unavailable on Wednesday, 20 April. Maintenance work is scheduled between 2 and 8 AM, EST, but may take longer. You will not be able to apply online, or access your visa application, during this time.
15 Apr 11 - India - The Indian Visa Offices are raising their fee $3 on Monday, Apr 18th. Applications completed on or after Apr 18th will have to pay the new fee. Applications completed prior to the 18th will not be affected.
08 Apr 11 - Passport Photos - As the U.S. Passport office and many consulates get stricter about the photos they accept, we thought some of you might benefit from the very detailed requirements at the following link. There is also information for those who do their own in house photos as well as some information on when a passport must be updated because ones appearance has changed. MORE
08 Apr 11 - India - The Indian consulates have dropped the requirement for a copy of an applicants birth certificate, except in the case of minors under the age of 18. Minors do still need a copy of the birth certificate.
31 Mar 11 - China - The Chinese consulates are scrutinizing applications. Section 3.6, Family Information, must always contain information on parents and spouse, if married. Section 2.8 must contain an actual address and phone number of either a hotel or sponsoring organization in China
29 Mar 11 - US Passports - When applicants applying for a new passport go to the Post Office to have there documents witnessed and sealed in an envelope, the postal clerk is suppose to include their own government document called a transmittal sheet. In the past applications were accepted even if this form was missing. The Passport Offices are now requiring this transmittal be inside all sealed envelopes.
24 Mar 11 - U.S. Passport Applications - Beginning April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State will require the full names of the applicants parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship.
02 Mar 11 - US Passport Application - The State Department has released new passport applications on March 1st. They have announced that these new forms are required and the old forms will no longer be accepted. The passport instructions on our website do contain links to the Online Passport Applications. While the Passport Office will still accept hand completed applications they do continue to advise that at some point applications will need to be completed online.
23 Feb 11 - Zimbabwe - The embassy is only issuing single entry visas. US citizens who require more entries must request a visa upgrade upon arrival in Zimbabwe.
23 Feb 11 - Bolivia - The embassy has a new visa application that must be completed online and then printed. Our instructions now contain a link to this new visa application.
02 Feb 11 - Chicago Closed - Our Chicago office, most if not all consulates and government offices are closed due to the Blizzard. Fedex and UPS have widespread delays.
31 Jan 11 - Lunar New Year - The Chinese consulate will be closed Feb 3rd, 4th and 7th, and the Vietnamese embassy will be closed Feb 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th.
27 Jan 11 - China - There is a new 4 page visa application and applications for Student Visas, Work Visas and Non-US passport holders also have an additional 2 page supplemental form that must be completed.
27 Jan 11 - US Passports - For applicants that require their documents be sealed in an envelope at a post office or county court house, this includes first time passports, or replacing a lost passport, the US Passport office has advised us that they will be strictly enforcing the requirement of having an itinerary or original company letter showing a departure within 14 days, that our letter of authorization must be on our letterhead, and both of these must be inside of the sealed envelope. They will not accept applications in a sealed envelope with the proof of departure or letter of authorization outside of the sealed envelope. They also do not want clients to make their own letters of authorization on their letterhead or no letterhead. It must be the authorization letter found in our passport instructions.
03 Jan 11 - Fedex Rate Increase - Federal Express has raised their rates. Fedexing of documents on our account will go up to $27 begining Jan 4th.
09 Dec 10 - Russian Holidays - The Russian Embassy and Consulates will be closed from Dec. 31st through Jan 10th. Anyone needing a visa to enter Russia before Feb. 1st should apply for their visa now.
03 Dec 10 - Angola - The embassy in Washington DC is no longer issuing visas. All visa applications will be done through the Houston Consulate.
03 Dec 10 - Kenya - Kenya is raising their visa fee. All travelers who will be arriving in Kenya on and after January 1st 2010 will need to pay the new consular fee.
15 Nov 10 - Ghana - The embassy has a new visa application form.
29 Oct 10 - Russia - The Russian Consulates wil be closed Nov 4th and 5th for their National Days.
27 Oct 10 - Brazil - For Minors under the age of 18 the consulates are now requiring a NOTARIZED copy of the Minor Authorization Form, a NOTARIZED copy of both parents drivers license, and a an ORIGINAL certified copy of the minor's birth certificate. Minors between 3 months and 6 years require evidence of Polio vaccination.
27 Oct 10 - Canada - We are again hearing U.S. clients mention being asked for documentation for business trips to Canada. We would like to repeat an update from last year emphasizing that Canada officially requires persons traveling on business to provide a letter from their employer identifying the activities they will perform and the duration of their visit, and a letter of invitation from a Canadian business outlining the reasons for the visit and including 24-hour contact details of the business host. We do include entry information like this for each country and for Canada it can be found at MORE
20 Oct 10 - Brazil - The Consulate in Miami is now requirign the company letter be notarized. At this point it is only the Miami consulate and therfore only residents of Florida that are affected.
18 Oct 10 - Cameroon - The embassy has a new visa application.
15 Oct 10 - Myanmar - The embassy has updated its requirements for a visa.
28 Sep 10 - Chinese Holiday - The Chinese Consulates will all be closed Oct 1st. Some consulates will also be closed Sep 30th and others will be closed Oct 4th and 5th. Any applications for Chinese visas not received by tomorrow Sep 28th, may not be ready until Oct 8th.
20 Sep 10 - United Kingdom - United Kingdom - The United Kingdom is raising their visa fees Oct 1st. The consulate in Chicago will also stop accepting visa applications in mid Oct. We will still be able to assist with visas. They will now be processed through New York or Los Angeles.
01 Sep 10 - Shipping to Perry International - We have added a link to our instructions that allows you to create a Fedex Priority Overnight Label on our account for shipping documents to Perry International. MORE
24 Aug 10 - Pakistan - There is a new visa application form.
05 Aug 10 - Myanmar - The embassy has a new visa application form.
04 Aug 10 - Ramadan - Ramadan is Aug 11th through Sep 9th this year. The consulates and embassies of Muslim countries will have shorter hours and take varying numbers of days off at the start and end of the Muslim month of Ramadan. We expect most of the offices that observe Ramadan to be closed Aug 11 - 13.
09 Jul 10 - U.S. Passport Fee Increase - On Tuesday July 13th, the U.S. Department of State is increasing the fees for U.S. Passports. This includes implementing a new fee for adding extra pages to an existing passport. Please see our detailed passport instruction packets to get the specific changes for each procedure. MORE
09 Jun 10 - Russia and China - Both countries are raising there visa fees for U.S. citizens by $10. The U.S. raised their visa fee on Friday Jun 4th, so to reciprocate many countries will be raising their fees.
07 Jun 10 - Gambia - The embassy has a new visa application form.
04 Jun 10 - Brazil - has increased their consular fees beginning today.
21 May 10 - United Kingdom - The U.K. Border Agency is introducing a $150 priority processing fee. Applicants that do not pay this fee can ONLY mail in their applications and processing may take 3 weeks. To have a third party such as Perry International assist in processing or to schedule a personal appointment at one of the consulates, the applicant must pay the priority consular fee. The U.K. consulates are working to implement this June 1st. As details are finalized we will explain the procedure further.
14 May 10 - Jordan and Tajikistan - Have new applications.
13 May 10 - Turkey - Turkey has a new visa application.
11 May 10 - Ghana, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo - Have raised their visa fees. Congo also has a new application.
11 May 10 - India - A spouse and dependent family members accompanying an applicant with a Business, Employment, Research or Student visa must apply for an Entry (X) visa, NOT a Tourist visa. All persons of Indian origin and the spouse and dependent children of a person of Indian origin traveling to India to visit family or for tourist related reasons must apply for an Entry (X) visa, NOT a Tourist visa.
07 Apr 10 - Oman - The Oman embassy has a new online application.
07 Apr 10 - Qatar - Visas will no longer be issued upon arrival. All visas must be obtained before departure.
19 Mar 10 - Brazil - Brazil has dropped their requirement that a visa be used for the first time within 90 days of its issue date. The visa can be used any time while it remains valid.
02 Mar 10 - India - When listing the reference in the US on the visa application, it cannot be someone that lives at the applicants address.
26 Feb 10 - US Passport Fee Increase Proposed - On February 9th, The U.S. Department of State proposed increases in the fees charged for various U.S. Passport procedures. Passports for applicants 16 and over are set to increase by $35. Having extra pages added to a passport, which was free, will cost $82. This is currently only a proposal. However, the wording of the proposal leads us to believe this will take affect by mid March. MORE
23 Feb 10 - Saudi Arabia - Visas to Saudi Arabia are now taking a minimum of 6 business days.
09 Feb 10 - Chinese Holiday - Chinese New Year is Feb 14th. All of the Chinese Consulates will be closed Monday the 15th and Tuesday the 16th and some will also be closed Wednesday the 17th. Visa processing when they reopen is usually limited to 1 week processing so any travelers leaving before March 1st should get their applications submitted this week.
09 Feb 10 - Blizzard Office Closures - With 10 to 20 inches expected from Chicago to New York, we expect many consulates to close early. DC consulates may remain closed after yesterdays closures. Expect 2 to 3 day delays on all work processed in Washington DC and now there may be delays in Chicago and New York also.
08 Feb 10 - DC offices closed - The Federal Government including the U.S. Passport Office will be closed today. We expect many embassies to also be closed. Many Fedex packages shipped from our DC office have been delayed.
15 Jan 10 - India - BEGINNING TODAY, India is requiring A photocopy of Birth Certificate (Note: You should NOT submit the original birth certificate, only a photocopy.) This may affect applications already in process. The India Visa Office has advised that any applications not completed yesterday, will require this document. We will find out which applications are not yet finished this afternoon, but would advise anyone who has an Indian Visa in process to get this document from their traveler.
11 Jan 10 - U.S. Raises Visa Fees - The U.S. Department of State is raising its Non-immigrant Visa Fee by $9. The last time the US raised their fees, Brazil, Russia, India and China all raised theirs. We expect many countries to begin raising their visa fees, over the next couple of months.
11 Jan 10 - Turkey - Turkey has raised their visa fees.
