For the purposes of issuing visas Orissa has been placed under the Hyderabad US consulate. The territory was earlier under the Kolkata consulate of US Embassy. The rearrangement is expected to save time for the visa applicants intending to visit the US.
“Kolkata consulate looks over many states including all states from the north east region and is over burdened. Our Hyderabad office, on the other hand, looks after only Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and is better staffed than Kolkata,” said Michael Yoder, Chief of Consular Section, Hyderabad US consulate while addressing a seminar of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), Orissa branch. The Hyderabad consulate office will hold the next interview for visa applicants from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa on March 21, informed a release on the US consulate’s web site.“This new move will certainly benefit visa applicants from the state and I am sure it will take less time,” said Dibylok Patnaik, chairman, Orissa branch of IACC. Addressing problems of frequent US visitors and business persons, the US state department official said he would take necessary steps to smoothen tighter norms at the port of entry in the US. To encourage business contacts between Orissa and the US, he promised that the commerce officer of the US consulate will visit the state soon.
