Indian Embassy in US issues advisory, asks Indians to contact USCIS for visa extension

In a bid to help the Indian nationals amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the Indian Embassy in the US on Friday (local time) issued a travel advisory asking Indian nationals to contact US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for extension of visa in the US amid travel restrictions imposed in the backdrop of Coronavirus pandemic. The advisory comes after the Indian government announced that no international commercial passenger aircraft will be allowed into India from midnight of March 22 to March 29.

"In view of these travel restrictions, all Indian nationals are advised to stay safe and isolated within the residential premises and follow the advisories updated on CDC web site and other state and federal advisories relevant to COVID19," read the statement by the embassy.

"For extension of visa in the US during this restriction period, please refer to USCIS website to extend your stay," it added.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday announced that no international passenger commercial aircraft shall take off from any foreign airport to land in India from March 22 to March 29. India has so far reported 236 coronavirus cases and four fatalities.

Last week, India had also suspended all visas with some exceptions including diplomatic and official travel as coronavirus cases continue to proliferate around the world.

"No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall take off from any foreign airport to land in India, from March 22, 2020 (05:30 hrs IST). These instructions shall remain in force till March 29, 2020," read the circular.

READ: IMPORTANT: Indian Embassy in US posts advisory for Indian students in US amid Coronavirus

READ: Coronavirus: China absolves whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, punishes Wuhan police

Indian Embassy in US posts advisory for Indian students 

Furthermore, last week the Embassy of India in the United States of America (USA) issued guidelines for Indian students studying in the country. The guidelines were issued after multiple US universities started shutting down their campuses to contain the spread of the virus.

Most universities have decided to shut their campuses including the accommodation facilities for around 2-4 weeks. The guidelines, therefore, addressed how Indian students could avail for either accommodation or travel back to India. This comes after US President Donald Trump declared the Coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. 

The guidelines also highlighted that Indian students traveling back to India from the US would be subjected to compulsory quarantine. The Indian Government had recently announced that all passengers coming in from China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain, and Germany after February 15, will be compulsorily quarantined for 14 days. 

READ: Coronavirus: Maldives Foreign Minister pledge USD 2,00,000 for COVID-19 response fund

READ: Coronavirus cases in Pakistan soars to 500