U.S. Consulate Hyderabad, India : January 2009 Update
Posted Jan 30, 2009; updated Feb 02, 2009
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The U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India, became operational in December 2008. Visa services remained unavailable, however, and potential applicants were routed to the consulate in Chennai. MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers were informed of the scheduled opening of the new consulate in Hyderabad in our December 10, 2008 article, Opening Soon: U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India. Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. (MISPL), located in Chennai, India, is the affiliate office of the Murthy Law Firm. Our attorneys there have been keeping abreast of matters related to the consulate in Hyderabad. From them, we have learned that visa services have been postponed and are expected to be phased in beginning late March 2009.
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News on Developments in Hyderabad : 60-Day Timeframe
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Attorney Senthil Kumar, of MISPL, participated in a program organized by the Andhra Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at which Vice Consul Lawrence Lane spoke on Current Issues Faced by U.S. Visa Applicants. The most up-to-date information available, according to Vice Consul Lane, is that the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad will begin accepting visa applications in 60 days. He also reported that this new consulate initially expects to interview approximately 100 visa applicants per day. These applications will first be limited to those for more common visas, such as B-1/B-2 visitor visas, and will slowly expand to other categories of visas. No timeframe was given for the expansion to other visas.
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Conclusion
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We at the Murthy Law Firm will keep a close watch on developments at the new U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, India as we know that many visa applicants from Hyderabad may prefer to apply for their visas at that location. We continue to caution our readers with time-sensitive travel not to wait to schedule their visa appointments, hoping to apply through the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad, as it is in the start-up phase and things may move more slowly than anticipated.