US Consulate in Hyderabad increases capacity to process 3,000 to 3,500 visa applications

The US Consulate has recently moved from Paigah Palace to the new campus in Nanakramguda, which is spread over 12 acres of land.

Hyderabad: Once fully staffed, the new United States Consulate General Hyderabad campus at Nanakramguda, South Asia’s biggest Consulate, will have capacity to process 3,000 to 3,500 visa applications and other essential services of American nationals in a single day.

As against 16 consular windows when the US Consulate operated from Paigah Palace, the present campus has 54 windows. However, all of them are not currently operational and are expected to commence once the Consulate adds more officers. Earlier, the US Consulate General Hyderabad had the largest number of single day applications i.e., 1,100 when it operated from Paigah Palace.

The US Consulate has recently moved from Paigah Palace to the new campus in Nanakramguda, which is spread over 12 acres of land. The Palace was handed back to the State government.

Speaking to press persons here on Wednesday, US Consul General Hyderabad Jennifer Larson said the US Mission to India is on track to process more than a million visas this year.

The new Consulate is the biggest in terms of staff and consular windows in South Asia, Larson said, adding that, “In Hyderabad, we now have more consular officers to conduct visa interviews than we have had at any time in years.”

The Consulate represents the US government in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

“And if we did not already have a consulate here, I think we’d have to open one for the very simple reason that there is so much happening in Hyderabad. Not only is there a lot happening here, so much of what is happening here is exciting, positive, and dynamic,” she said.

Stating that the Consulate has already increased its visa processing capacity compared to the facility at Paigah Palace, Chief Consular Officer Rebekah Drame said they would further increase the number once more officers were added.

She mentioned that next week there would be visa surge day, wherein more visa slots would be made available particularly to students wishing to study in the US. She said except for B1 and B2 visas, the backlog time has come under six months.