The US Consulate in Mumbai has decided to put its visa issuing process on the fast track.
In December 2009, the Consulate will change its address from the landmark Lincoln House in south Mumbai to the Bandra-Kurla Complex, where it will have 40 visa windows as compared with the 17 visa windows at present.
This will increase the visa issuing capacity of the consulate tremendously. At present, the consulate issues around 1,500 visas a day.
Steven White, deputy chief of mission, US embassy, said, "The consulate will be moved to an area of 11 acres with the consulate building supporting administrative operations and also the residence of the Consulate General."
The Rs 340-crore project will have air-conditioned space for around 500 applicants inside the visa office with a wide-screen television flashing information on visa services.
Mumbai is the sixth busiest visa post in the world out of more than 246 US consulates and embassies that process visas. Mumbai's visa workload has increased by 80 per cent from 1,25,000 to 2,25,000 cases in the last two years.
This year, Mumbai is experiencing a 20 per cent increase in demand of visas and so the US mission in India has expanded the consulate in Chennai, the consular section in the embassy in New Delhi, and will open a new consulate in Hyderabad by the end of the year.
In September 2006, a tourist had to wait six months to get an appointment for a visa interview. Today, the wait is for 15 days. For students, business visitors and workers, the wait is just for eight days. Besides, the consulate is also responsible for assisting Americans who either visit India or are living in India.
"Our four posts in India -- Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata -- processed 7,25,000 NIV applications last year, up from 46,000 the year before. This is an increase of 58 per cent in one year," said Glen Keiser, consular section chief.
To meet the increasing demand, the consulate general has increased staffing. In 2005, the consulate had 11 officers interviewing visa applicants. By 2007, it had 19. "In 2005, we had 42 Indian staff members, we now have 52, and we should have 60 by the end of this year, an increase of 43 per cent.
In addition to this, there is increase in our permanent staff, almost 50 officers from around the world have joined us temporarily. Our officers interview, on an average, over 100 people a day," added Keiser.