* In lieu of January 1, 2011 (Saturday)

** In lieu of December 25, 2011 (Sunday)

(#)  Exact date to be confirmed according to the lunar calendar

Note: In the year 2011, one Indian National Holiday, Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, falls on Sunday. The post will observe this holiday on Sunday, October 2, 2011.

Those seeking issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US Passport, or new visa pages for a previously issued United States Passport are well advised to contact an American Citizen Services Section of the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. In many cases, those seeking such services can make an appointment in advance and thereby streamline the overall process.

For those wishing to visit the official homepage of the US Consulate in Hyderabad directly please click HERE.

Those seeking non-immigrant visas such as the US tourist visa are generally required to process their application through a Non-Immigrant Visa Unit of a US Consulate abroad. In virtually all cases, such applications must be scrutinized pursuant to section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.

Those seeking family based visas such as the IR-1 visa or the CR1 Visa are generally required to process such applications through an Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit. The K1 visa application, although technically for a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is processed in much the same manner as an Immigrant visa.

Those seeking an EB-5 visa (Immigrant Investor Visa) or an L-1 visa (intra-company transferee visa) are usually required to first obtain an approved immigration petition from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

For related information please see: K1 Visa India.

New Delhi – In an effort to make the visa application process more convenient for all Indians, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates General in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad now accept visa applications from across India at all visa facilities, regardless of the applicant’s home address or city of residence. This is part of Mission India’s ongoing effort to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States.

Following the opening of Consulate General Hyderabad in 2008, the U.S. Mission has looked for ways to best capture the dynamism of India’s growth across the nation. As a result, we also redesigned our consular districts. Therefore, effective immediately, our consular districts will be reorganized as follows: Embassy Delhi: Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bhutan; Consulate Mumbai: Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Diu and Daman, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Consulate Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh, Orissa; Consulate Chennai: Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Consulate Kolkata: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal

U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said, “With these changes, we believe our Consulates General and our Embassy in New Delhi will be even better positioned to support and serve Indian visa applicants, as well as American citizens and businesses throughout India.”

Actions such as those noted above can have a tremendous positive impact upon those Indian Nationals seeking United States Immigration benefits as the ability to process such travel documents at any Post in India generally results in a great deal more convenience compared to the policy of keeping Consular jurisdictions mutually exclusive.

Each year, many Indian Nationals seek visa benefits of the United States of America. While some may seek US family visa benefits in order to reunite with loved ones. Other applicants seek non-immigrant visas for short terms stays in the USA. Still others seek employment based visas to the US such as the L1 visa. Meanwhile, there are some who opt to seek United States Permanent Residence by investment through use of the EB-5 visa program.

Policies such as the aforementioned one adopted by the US Mission in India should be applauded as this shows a sincere effort on the part of the Mission in India to take measures which may be beneficial to those seeking visas to America.

For related information please see: EB-5 Visa India.