India has opened eight new consular centres across the U.S., considerably increasing the supply footprint for visa, passport and different companies and streamlining them to make them extra accessible and environment friendly for the Indian diaspora within the nation.
India’s Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Kwatra on Friday (August 1, 2025) nearly inaugurated the new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICAC) in Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Edison, Orlando, Raleigh and San Jose. An extra ICAC will quickly open in Los Angeles.
Starting August 1, 2025, all consular companies, together with passport, visa, OCI, give up certificates, life certificates, beginning/marriage certificates, police clearance, attestations, and extra, will likely be supplied completely by means of VFS Global Centres.
The enlargement brings the entire variety of ICACs across the U.S. to 17, making consular companies extra accessible to Indian and American residents within the nation.
Mr. Kwatra described this as a “very significant” enlargement of the consular companies supply footprint supplied by the Embassy of India across the United States, which is residence to an almost 5 million-strong Indian diaspora.
Mr. Kwatra mentioned that the enlargement underscores Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s deep regard for the Indian diaspora, which the Indian chief has described because the “strongest brand ambassador of India” and is on the coronary heart of a robust India-U.S. partnership that’s manifested by means of people-to-people ties between the 2 societies.
“We are confident that these centres will play a crucial role in fostering and continuing a strong relationship with our diaspora, but at the same time also empower our diaspora to engage more deeply between our two countries,” Mr. Kwatra mentioned.
He added that the diaspora performs a big and essential function in strengthening and contributing to the India-U.S. relationship.
Highlighting the “very strong political engagement between the two countries” in latest months, Mr. Kwatra famous PM Modi’s go to to Washington in February, visits by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, in addition to the go to by US Vice President J D Vance and his household to India in April.
Mr. Kwatra mentioned these visits have “really deepened not just the discussions, but also the scope and the depth of our partnership.”
“It is my belief, as has also been stated by the Prime Minister, that you are a living bridge between our two societies, two countries. You contribute to the development and enrichment of this relationship, as also of the two countries. And I hope that you will continue to play this important and irreplaceable role,” he said.
India’s Consul General in New York, Binaya Pradhan, attended the special inauguration ceremony at the Indian Consular Application Centre in Edison that was attended by Edison Mayor Sam Joshi as well as prominent members of the Indian-American community.
Mr. Kwatra inaugurated the centres and addressed the diaspora who also joined virtually from across the new centres that have been opened.
Head of North America and Caribbean, VFS Global, Amit Kumar Sharma told the gathering in Edison that the agency’s focus has been to make “our services more convenient, comfortable and more accessible” and to serve the community better.
Noting that the centres will now be open on Saturdays as well, Mr. Sharma pointed out, amid applause, that VFS has worked with 70 governments across 150 countries, and this will be the first time that it is going to work for any government on a Saturday.
This commitment “reflects the mindset of the leadership, what they want to achieve,” Mr. Sharma said.
“And they got here up with a course of that addresses these issues,” Mr. Sharma mentioned.
He pressured that numerous companies like name centres will likely be improved and streamlined to make sure enhanced deliveries for the group members.
“I am very hopeful that these new expansions will help the community, help the diaspora take these services in a much efficient way. This is a testament to our commitment as well. We take pride in making these services comfortable, convenient and accessible for people, and we will continue to do that,” Mr. Sharma mentioned.
In addition to the new centres, the Embassy of India is enhancing operational accessibility and repair deliveries efficient instantly.
As a part of this, all 17 ICACs will function six days per week, together with Saturdays, providing flexibility for candidates to entry these consular companies with out inflicting disruption to their work schedule throughout weekdays.
To additional streamline entry, a lot of miscellaneous consular and attestation companies will likely be supplied by means of the applying centres, which Mr. Kwatra mentioned will add to the comfort and administrative effectivity of the supply of consular companies within the U.S.
Referring to PM Modi’s announcement that two extra consulates will likely be opened in Boston and Los Angeles, Mr. Kwatra mentioned “we are currently working very intensely to ensure that these two consulates begin their work as early as possible and are functional” quickly.
“The opening of the two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles captures our intent that given the nature of our growing strength of India-U.S. partnership, there is a need to expand the diplomatic footprint across the United States, and the opening of these two consulates captures that objective of ours,” the Indian Ambassador mentioned.
