The DS-160 form replaces the three separate forms that previously were filled out and brought to the Consular Office at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent by hand. Starting 30 April, non-immigrant visa applicants must instead fill out the single DS-160 online form. The information will then be submitted to the Consular databases, where it will be available when the applicants arrive for their interviews.

The new online system has been optional throughout April, but it is now mandatory.

The system, which is being implemented worldwide, is designed to make the application process more convenient for applicants, reduce errors, and cut the time spent waiting when applicants come to the Consular Office for the interviews, said Vice Consul Matthew Whitton.

“The idea is, instead of compiling all these different papers, they can do it all on the computer,” Whitton said. “It will make it a lot faster to get them to the visa window when they come in.”

The new system will serve all people applying for non-immigrant visas, including students, businesspeople, those coming for visits, workers and others. About 8,000 people from Uzbekistan applied for non-immigrant visas to come to the United States in 2009, according to Consul David Mico.

To facilitate use of the application system, Whitton recommended that people have all the documents and information they will need, and to make every effort to fill out the application accurately. He noted that the system asks applicants for information based on answers to previous questions, so it is especially important to fill in the correct information.