The United States will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, to boost people-to-people relationships, a senior White House official said. The official said the US issued a record 125,000 visas to Indian students last year. Indian students are set to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 percent increase last year alone, the senior administration official said.
“The United States intends to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India is likewise welcoming the 2023 opening of its consulate in Seattle and looks forward to also announcing a new consulate in the United States,” the official said.
The US Department of State is going to launch a pilot to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas later this year, including for Indian nationals with the intent to implement this for an expanded pool, the official said.
India has five consulates in the US in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta, apart from the embassy in Washington. The US embassy in New Delhi is one of the largest US diplomatic missions in the world.
The embassy coordinates the activities of four consulates – in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad – ensuring that the US-India relationship is strong throughout the country, according to the information on its website.
