The American dream came a little closer to the residents of Andhra Pradesh with the US Consulate office in Hyderabad on Wednesday throwing open its visa services for those wishing to travel to the US.
Interview appointments for all visas commenced on Wednesday. To begin with, the temporary consulate at Paigah Palace would conduct 100 visa interviews a day, a number that is scheduled to increase to 400 per day by the end of April. Full consular services for US citizens are also available in Hyderabad, according to a media notice issued by US Hyderabad Consul General Cornelis M Keur.
At present, the consulate at Hyderabad would serve applicants only from the state of Andhra Pradesh. Visa applicants and American citizens will “now be spared the lengthy and costly journey to Chennai” for obtaining the visas and other consular services, the media notice said.
The opening of the US Consulate at Hyderabad comes as a shot in the arm for the city’s recognition as an international tourist and business destination. While there was talk of the US opening a consulate in Hyderabad for some time, it picked up momentum after US President George Bush visited the city in 2006 and made a formal announcement of the opening of the consulate. Hyderabad has thus become the fifth city in the country, after New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, to have an American government presence connected to travel requirements.
A permanent US Consulate is scheduled to come up in the Gachibowli area for which the state government has already committed 10 acres of land. With the formal opening of the US consulate, the plans of countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom to open their respective consulates in Hyderabad are likely to get a fillip.
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