US to open 2 more consulates in India at Ahmedabad and Bengaluru
Our Bureau
Washington
For Indians aspiring to study or work in the US, there is good news from the White House. Senior WH official informed that the US will open 2 new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, and India will establish a mission in Seattle for strengthening people-to-people relations between the 2 great nations.
More than 125,000 visas were issued to Indian students last year and they are becoming the largest foreign student community in the US with a 20% increase last year.
“We intend to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students approximately by 20%. We are seeing a high demand from Indian students and expect to meet them unlike last year’s post-pandemic era when we had staffing and other issues,” said John Ballard, the consular Chief at the US Consulate General Mumbai.
The US has 4 consulates in India in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad with the US Embassy in New Delhi being one of the largest diplomatic missions in the world. With approximately half a million visas already issued, the US Consulate General is expecting to process 1 million visas in India this year.
As a sign of healthy US-India relationships, India has 5 consulates in the US in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta, in addition to its embassy in Washington.
Later this year, the US Department of State is planning to initiate a pilot run for approving domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas, for Indian nationals as well.
