Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing members of the Indian community at the Ronald Regan Building in Washington, made a significant announcement regarding the United States plans to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. This move aims to strengthen people-to-people relationships between the two countries.
In addition to this, Prime Minister Modi shared that Indian-origin individuals will no longer need to leave the US for H-1B visa renewals. Under the new visa rules, H-1B visa renewals can now be done within the US itself, making it more convenient for Indians to live and work in the country. This pilot program has the potential to expand in the future, benefiting a larger number of Indian citizens.
It’s worth noting that Indian citizens constitute the majority of users in the US H-1B program, accounting for 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in the fiscal year 2022.
The US embassy in New Delhi is among the largest US diplomatic missions globally and oversees the activities of four consulates located in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad, ensuring a strong US-India relationship across the country.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US, as a state guest of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, included bilateral talks, a joint session address to the US Congress, and a high-profile state dinner. Following his engagements in the US, he proceeded to Egypt for a two-day visit, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Egypt since 1997.
