India and US hold tenth edition of consular dialogue

“The U.S. delegation, led by Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Ms. Rena Bitter, met with counterparts from the Indian delegation, led by Shri. Devesh Uttam, Joint Secretary, Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Dialogue reaffirmed the strength of our bilateral relationship and highlighted efforts made by both countries to strengthen people-to-people ties,” according to the Minister of External Affairs.

Bilateral consular relations have been in focus over the last few years as wait times for Indians to receive certain types of US visas lengthened considerably as a result of pandemic-induced challenges to staffing and regular operations.

Given the substantial impact on people-to-people relations, the American Embassy in New Delhi has tackled visa wait times with alacrity.

“Between January and March 2023, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase processing capacity. The Department of State is also increasing the number of consular officers permanently assigned to the Embassy and Consulates,” the American Embassy in New Delhi.

“Talks focused on areas of interest like cooperation including cooperation to protect vulnerable women and children, inter-country adoption, provision of consular services to expatriate citizens, extraditions, and facilitation of travel in support of our extensive cultural, economic, and educational ties”, said the MEA about the recent bilateral consular dialogue.

Both sides agreed to hold the next round of talks in India in 2024.