Washington, Jan 28, Indian authorities have announced the opening of a new Indian Consular Application Centre in Seattle to improve access to consular services for the Indian diaspora in the Pacific Northwest.
The centre at 1015 2nd Avenue, Suite 804, Seattle, WA 98104 is now co-located with the Indian Consulate in Seattle, an official release said Tuesday (local time).
Officials stated the move is aimed at making services easier to access for Indian nationals and other applicants in the region.
The visa application centre was inaugurated in the presence of government and non-government dignitaries. More than 300 members of the Indian American community from Seattle and nearby states attended the event.
The Seattle centre will operate as a single location for a wide range of services. These include applications for Indian visas, passports, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), renunciation of Indian citizenship, Police Clearance Certificates, the Global Entry Programme (GEP), and Miscellaneous and Attestation services.
The Indian Consulate in Seattle said the newly co-located offices of the Indian Consular Application Centre with the Consulate in the Federal Reserve Building are "expected to enhance operational efficiency and provide consular applicants with a one-stop facility for submitting applications and resolving queries."
VFS Global, which provides outsourced consular services for India in the United States, said the new centre is part of a broader effort to streamline the application process and improve service delivery.
Several applicant-focused changes have been introduced under the expanded network. The centres will now remain open on Saturdays. Return courier services are included in standard service fees. Services such as photographs, photocopies, and form-filling are available at no extra cost within the centre.
The Seattle facility is equipped with modern infrastructure designed to deliver a secure, efficient application experience, with a focus on customer convenience, the company said.
Speaking at the launch, Amit Kumar Sharma, Head – North America and Caribbean at VFS Global, said: "Seattle and the wider Pacific Northwest region are home to a vibrant and growing Indian diaspora. The launch of this Indian Consular Application Centre reflects the Government of India's vision to make consular services more accessible and citizen-centric."
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