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US Consulate moves to own facility in Nanakramguda

Hyderabad: The United States Consulate General in Hyderabad announced the opening of its new facility in Nanakramguda on Monday, 15 years after it began operations from the historic Paigah Palace in Begumpet.

“Today marks a milestone in the US -India Strategic Partnership,” said Jennifer Larson, US Consul-General, Hyderabad. At a cost of $340 million, our new consulate facility in Hyderabad is an investment in the US relationship with India. We look forward to increasing our staff – including visa officers — in order to continue expanding US-India ties in the months and years to come," she said.

The new consulate, which is housed on a 12-acre site, exemplifies the mission of the US State Department to offer facilities that are safe, secure, useful, and robust for U.S. diplomacy. The $340 million construction project included $70 million in local investment and employed a combined workforce of over 1,000 American, Indian, and third-country nationals.

The US Consulate General represents the United States in the Indian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The U.S.-India relationship in the region spans a wide range of key issues, including higher education and cultural programmes, military cooperation, health and environmental issues, and commercial ties.

During 2022, the US Consulate General in Hyderabad issued over 18,000 student visas, while the US companies invested billions of dollars in the region's tech, defence, aerospace, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Consulate works with local partners to preserve historic monuments, while its staff work with journalists to combat disinformation and expand coverage of climate change. The US and Indian militaries also teamed up for joint exercises based out of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.

Visa applicants who have scheduled interviews should go to the U.S. Consulate’s new facility in Nanakramguda for their interviews. All other visa services, including biometrics appointments, “dropbox” appointments (interview waiver), and passport pickup will continue to take place at the Visa Application Center (VAC), located at the Lower Concourse, Hitec City Metro Station, Madhapur.

For non-emergency consular services, contact HydACS@state.gov; for US citizens in need of emergency services, dial +91 040 6932 8000. For general questions about consular services, citizens can contact +91 120 4844644 and +91 22 62011000.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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