US Embassy

People seeking renewal of US visa can now submit their applications through dropbox, the US Embassy has said while clarifying that such requests would not be entertained through email. According to John Ballard, the consular chief at the US Consulate General in Mumbai, the US embassy and consulates in India have prepared to receive a record number of visas from Indian students in 2023. The US embassy adjudicated over 1,25,000 student visas in 2022. "It was the most students that we have ever adjudicated here in India and we expect in 2023, we will have even more Indian students that will be coming into apply for visas," Ballard told PTI.

With an aim to cut delays in visa processing in India, the US has launched new initiatives, including scheduling special interviews for first time applicants and increasing strength of consular staff. As part of the multi-pronged approach to cut the visa backlog, the US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad conducted "special Saturday interview days" on January 21. "On January 21, the US mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a larger effort to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants," the US embassy said on Sunday. "The United States Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews," it said in a statement. The mission will continue to open "additional slots" for appointments to take place on select Saturdays in the coming months. "These ...

South Korean President Yoon said the strategy of "nuclear umbrella" or "extended deterrence" is no longer reassuring for the public now that North Korea has developed nuclear weapons

Spanish officials say a suspicious envelope has been discovered at the US Embassy in Madrid and placed under police control. The finding on Thursday came as police reported a wave of explosive packages being sent in Spain's capital, including one that ignited at the Ukrainian Embassy. Police said other explosive devices concealed in postal packages were sent over the past two days to Spain's Defence Ministry, a European Union satellite centre in Spain and an arms factory that makes grenades sent to Ukraine. The Spanish Interior Ministry said police detonated the envelope detected at the US Embassy. There were no reports of injuries. Authorities also said that a similar explosive device was dispatched by regular post to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on November 24, but was disposed of by bomb squad experts. The latest discoveries raise to five the number of explosive devices that were sent by post around the country over the past few days. The Russian embassy in Madrid on .

The State Department has brought in new rules for several visa categories that allow more people to opt out of interviews

: The Biden administration has appointed senior foreign service officer Elizabeth Jones the Charg d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in New Delhi, an official announcement said. Jones, who was the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts recently, will depart to New Delhi soon, the State Department said in an announcement on Monday. Jones has earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She carries the highest foreign service rank of Career Ambassador. In India, Ambassador Jones will join our Embassy and Consulate interagency teams in advancing and expanding the partnership between our governments and people, a partnership that Secretary Blinken has called one of the most consequential in the world, the Department of State said.

The United States has issued a record of 82,000 student visas to Indians in 2022, highest than any country, the US Embassy in India has said. "We are happy to see so many students were able to receive visas and reach their universities after the delays caused in previous years by the COVID-19 pandemic.We issued over 82,000 student visas this summer alone, more than in any previous year. "This shows that the United States remains for most Indian families the most sought-after country for higher education," Patricia Lacina, Charge d'affaires of US Embassy in India said. "It also highlights the important contributions Indian students make to both our countries as they build life-long connections with American peers to maintain and grow international partnerships, working collectively to address current and future global challenges," Lacina added. Indian students comprise nearly 20 per cent of all international students studying in the United States, with the Open Doors report in 2021

Foreign nationals holding a valid Chinese residence permit for study or an APEC business travel card will be allowed to enter China starting today

The US State Department has issued a security alert warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. The US Embassy in Kyiv on Monday urged US citizens still in Ukraine to depart the country immediately. If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover, the State Department said in its alert. If in a home or a building, go to the lowest level of the structure with the fewest exterior walls, windows, and openings; close any doors and sit near an interior wall, away from any windows or openings. The State Department issued the alert after the US intelligence community on Monday declassified a finding that determined that Russia would increasingly target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, according to a US official familiar with the intelligence. The official was not authorized to comment publicly about the finding and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Out of an abundance of caution, Consular is canceling our Wednesday afternoon services as well as all consular services on Thursday," the embassy tweeted

According to a VFS Global spokesperson, there has been an unprecedented uptick in outbound travel demand from India this summer

Due to visa processing delays the representatives of travel agents plan to write to foreign embassies to highlight the problem

Fresh issuance of tourist visas was suspended during the pandemic and only renewals were taking place

Earlier, Rana served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Charg d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The veteran foreign service officer, Bridget Brink, who has spent most of her career in the shadow of the former Soviet Union, was nominated to the position last month by President Joe Biden

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia's unconscionable invasion

The US Embassy in Myanmar and the United Nations on Monday denounced the military's attack on peaceful protesters in the former capital Yangon

The US Embassy in Afghanistan is urging Americans to leave the Kabul airport area because of a specific threat in Afghanistan

Approximately 4,000 US Embassy staff members are still to fly out of the country

Alarm sirens were turned on at the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the air defense system was activated over an "unknown object" in the sky above the embassy