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Consulate General of the United States, Hyderabad

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Consulate General of the United States of America in Hyderabad
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Jennifer Larson
since September 2022
United States Department of State
StyleConsul General
NominatorJoe Biden
Formation24 October 2008; 16 years ago (24 October 2008)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

The Consulate General of the United States of America in Hyderabad represents the interests of the U.S. government in Hyderabad, India and nearby surrounding areas.[2] The Consulate General serves the Indian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The current Consul General is Jennifer Larson, incumbent since September 2022.[3]

Established in 2008, it is the first U.S. diplomatic office to open in India since India's independence.[4] The United States Consulate General in Hyderabad announced the opening of its new owned facility in Financial District to cater to the regional needs for the next 20 years. At a cost of $340 million, new consulate facility in Hyderabad is an investment in the India–US relationship.[3]

History

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U.S. Ambassador to India David C. Mulford during the inauguration of the consulate

Until the consulate opened in Hyderabad, the Consulate General of the United States, Chennai received about 40% of its visa applications from Andhra Pradesh. In early 2006, the then Chief Minister of the State Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy announced that the United States government has agreed to open a consulate in the capital city of Hyderabad. He also announced steps to provide temporary and permanent accommodation to the consular staff. This announcement came soon after the visit of President of the United States George W. Bush to the state capital.[5] Hyderabad was chosen because of "its strategic location in terms of a large visa demand, a broad-based economy spanning information technology, bio-technology and other life sciences besides a diverse population, including Muslims."[2] Soon after this, the then United States Ambassador to India David Campbell Mulford announced that the consulate will begin its operations in 2007 and inauguration planned for 2008.[6][7] The purpose of opening the consulate in Hyderabad was to reduce the burden of the consulate in Chennai that issues the highest number of visas in India.[8]

In 2007, United States signed an agreement with the local government to lease the Paigah Palace for five years. Mulford announced that the palace will be renovated to serve as a temporary accommodation for the consulate. The state government designated 12 acres (0.049 km2) in the city's Financial District where a permanent consulate would be built, and is expected to be ready for use in Mid-2022.[9]

In 2008, the facility opened with the capacity to process 100 visa applications in a day.[1] The consulate first started interviewing visa applicants from 10 March 2009 and in a year's time it interviewed 100,000 applicants.[4] In the years following its opening, the number of students traveling to the United States from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh increased significantly.[10]

US consulate in Hyderabad opened its own new building built in Nanakramguda, Financial District on 20 March 2023.[11][12] Spread across a sprawling 12.3-acre site and built at a cost of US$ 340 million,[13] the facility is among the largest US consular processing campus in Asia, both in terms of the number of visa windows and in area.[14]

Activities

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The consulate has conducted activities that foster and promote education in the United States, Indo-US business ties and social causes such as renovation of a two-centuries-old tomb of Mah Laqa Bai, a Nizam-era Urdu poet and courtesan.[15][16][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "David Mulford opens US Consulate in Hyderabad". The Hindu. 25 October 2008. Archived from the original on 26 October 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "US consulate by 2008-end". The Hindu. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b "US Consulate moves to own facility". The Times of India. Hyderabad: The Times Group. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Consulate interviews one lakh visa applicants in 1 yr". The Hindu. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  5. ^ "US to set up consulate in Hyderabad". The Times of India. 3 March 2006. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  6. ^ "India will be a world power". Rediff.com. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  7. ^ "US Consulate in Hyderabad by 2008". The Hindu. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  8. ^ "U.S. consulate will open office in Hyderabad soon". The Hindu. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 20 September 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  9. ^ "US Consul office to shift only by mid-2022". The New Indian Express. 22 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Sheer number reason for more Andhra victims". The Times of India. 22 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  11. ^ "US Consulate General to move into new facility in Nanakramguda on March 20". The Hindu. 7 March 2023.
  12. ^ "One of the busiest in country, US consulate General in Hyderabad to get new office". 30 January 2020.
  13. ^ "From March 20, US consulate at Hyderabad 's Nanakramguda". The Times of India. 8 March 2023.
  14. ^ "US to establish SE Asia's largest Consulate campus in Hyderabad".
  15. ^ "US education info centre opened at OUCIP". The Hindu. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  16. ^ "US Consulate funds renovation of Mah Laqa Bai's tomb". Daily News and Analysis. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Seek business partners in US". The Hindu. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
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