Visas for US now cheaper

‘‘The new system, however, will still require each applicant to pay the standard non-immigrant visa application fee of $100 before booking an appointment,’’ said William Barlett, Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the US Embassy.

Another new feature will be that fees can be deposited at select HDFC Bank branches, which in turn will be collected by the Bank of America.

Under the new system, applicants will be required to complete their visa forms online, using an interactive website, which will assist applicants in avoiding errors in data entry. ‘‘Moreover, US Visa Application Centers are being opened at new locations in Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Vijaywada and Cochin,’’ Barlett added.

The new visa system, which includes pre-payment of the visa application fee, is intended to reduce the waiting period for an interview because, as officials pointed out, only those who are ‘‘serious’’ applicants would shell out the fee to fix an appointment for an interview.

At present, VFS is offering visa services for the Mumbai consular district, but under the new agreement, it will become the sole provider of visas across the country, including the US Embassy and the US consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.