US VISA

Update on 08-July-2015:
The OFC location has been changed to the following address:

USA Visa Application Center

Good shepherd, No 82, Kodambakkam High Road

Numgambakkam, Near Valluvar Kottam Traffic Signal

Opposite Water pumping Station

Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034

This location is very near to MONZA'S Fashion Studio in Nungambakkam near to VALLUVAR KOTTAM Signal.

Link to the location in google maps:
US OFC New location

Directions from US consulate to OFC:
It is not directly available to spot on google maps, so I am sending the driving directions to the nearest spot I can select in google:
Directions
Exact spot:

Most people will be knowing the process of getting a US VISA. The pain here is that they keep on tweaking the procedure every now and then and it becomes really difficult to keep up with the changes that they make.

I had applied as on October and the procedure was as below:

STEPS

1. Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form on given link

https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/

2. Pay the visa application fee.

If you are a first-time user, click New User? to create your profile.

http://portal.ustraveldocs.com/SiteRegister?country=India&language=en_US

3. Choose the Schedule Appointment option. On the payment confirmation screen you will be presented with payment options and further details of how to initiate payment. Note it can take up to 2 business days from time of payment for your receipt to be activated

·         You must schedule two appointments, one for the OFC and one for the visa interview at the Embassy or Consulate.

·         First, schedule your visa interview appointment at the Embassy or Consulate.

·         Second, schedule your Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) appointment. This appointment will allow you to go to one of the five OFC locations to have your fingerprints and photo taken. This appointment must be at least 1 day before your visa interview appointment at the Embassy or Consulate.

Schedule your appointment on this web page. You will need three pieces of information in order to schedule your appointment:

·         Your passport number

·         The date you paid your fee.

·         The ten (10) digit barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page

4. For your Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) appointment, you will need to bring:

·         A passport valid for travel to the United States with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States (unless country-specific agreements provide exemptions). If more than one person is included in your passport, each person desiring a visa must submit an application.

·         Your DS-160 confirmation page.

·         Your appointment confirmation page.

5. Following your visit to the OFC to have your photo and fingerprints taken, you will then visit the U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the date and time of your visa interview. You will need to bring:

·         A printed copy of your appointment letter,

·         Your DS-160 confirmation page, one photograph taken within the last six months,

·         Your current and all old passports, and the

·         Original visa fee payment receipt.

Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.

 
Once done, based on your OFC appointment centre, you need to go at least one day in advance to get your fingerprints and photograph taken at the OFC. This is just a 5-10 minutes affair, but the problem is you need to go to the nearest location for this to be done.
Since I am from Bangalore, I had opted for Chennai as the OFC.

The address is as below:
No. 3, Cenotaph Road,
Teynampet,
Chennai - 600018

This location is very difficult to spot/ locate even to the locals. There is no proper signages and even the auto-drivers are not aware of this road.
I have put forth a rough route map that will be helpful in finding this location:

At the gate of that office, a security will check if you have Appointment letter, DS-160 and the passport. They will not allow us to take anything else and there is no option of any security locker facilities and so you need to definitely leave all the stuff in the hotel room, including mobiles and all electronic devices.

Once you enter the premises, you need to get to the first/ second floor(don't remember exactly).
There will be a couple of officers there who will ask your time slot, check the documents and send you in.
There is an air-conditioned room inside where there are around 8-10 counters. You will be called upon in one of the counters where they will scan the fingerprints of all our fingers(both hands) and also take a digital photograph. They will check the documents and passport as well.

This is it at the OFC.

After you get this done, you need to go for another appointment at the US consulate.
US consulate address is:
US Consulate General, Chennai
Gemini Circle,
220, Anna Salai,
Chennai 600 006

This place is very easy to locate as it is pretty close to the bridge and most times you will find a queue of people standing outside to get into the US Consulate.
Moreover, it is located inside the OUP - OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS campus and that will be easy to find out.
Earlier it is the better to get into this premises. Here again, they will only allow the passport, appointment letters, DS docs and supporting documents and no form of electronic devices. There is a small tea shop nearby where you can deposit your valuables, but I personally did not do this and kept all my belongings in my hotel room. It is upto your discretion.
They will check all the documents once again and give you a token once you enter the premises. When your turn comes based on token and counter number(similar to bank teller system), you need to get to the counter with the documents.
There will be many counters in here and some Indian officials will ask some basic questions. After this, you will be batched and sent to the main consulate office. Here again, the same token is valid and the same system prevails. When your turn comes, you will need to go to the respective counter. An US official will ask a few questions regarding job, family, work, company, purpose of visit, salary, duration of stay, etc...
The person who interviewed me was a friendly guy who at the end of the interview informed me that my VISA got approved. Of course I went for B1 visa and that is relatively easier to get. By this time, you would have deposited the passport and you will be informed that you will get SMS as well as email notification for picking up the passport.
This again has to be done at the VFS document collection centres and the address for that one in Bangalore is  as below:

Prestige Atrium  2nd Floor  Unit No. 304, Bangalore,  560001

This office is very close to MG road/ Shivaji Nagar bus stand. This is located opposite to Hotel Empire and the road(called Central Street) is parallel to Infantry Road and so you can ask any person on these landmarks and they will be able to guide you.

Here again, there are certain rules that will surprise you.

You will get an email that your document is picked from the US Embassy. Due to technical glitches, this usually is not happening properly.

 I waited for 8 working days and reached the centre regardless of the email confirmations.

You need to carry a Government Authorized Identity Proof with a photocopy to this place.

The office works on Monday to Friday from 10-4 PM ONLY.

You cannot carry laptops to this office. They will check and then only allow you inside and give you a token.

Then, based on the token number, you will be called and they will take note of your details like appointment letter copy and photo identity card.

They will then give you the passport sealed in envelope if they have received it from the courier service.

This is the whole procedure in getting a US VISA.