PM Modi in US: Report says US intends to open consulates in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and India in Seattle

The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships, a report said on Thursday.

The official said the US issued a record 125,000 visas to Indian students last year. Indian students are set to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 per cent increase last year alone, a senior White House official told PTI.

The report came at a time when US President Joe Biden rolled out the White House red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday as part of his effort to jump-start a stronger US-India relationship and counter China's global influence with a series of defense and trade agreements.

Biden treated Modi to a colorful White House South Lawn arrival ceremony before some 7,000 people in the morning, before the leaders gathered for Oval Office talks ahead of a glittering state dinner in the evening.

"The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together, and we are," Biden said during the ceremony.

Modi is seeking to raise the influence that India, the world's most populous country at 1.4 billion, has on the world stage in the wake of strained ties with neighboring China.

"This grand welcome ceremony at the White House today is an honor and pride for the 1.4 billion people of India," Modi said, speaking mostly in Hindi. "This is also an honor for more than 4 million people of Indian origin living in the U.S. For this honor, I express my heartfelt gratitude."

“The United States intends to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India is likewise welcoming the 2023 opening of its consulate in Seattle and look forward to also announcing a new consulate in the United States,” the official told PTI.

The US Department of State is going to launch a pilot to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas later this year, including for Indian nationals with the intent to implement this for an expanded pool, the official said.

India has five consulates in the US in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, apart from the embassy in Washington.

The US embassy in New Delhi is one of the largest US diplomatic missions in the world. The embassy coordinates the activities of four consulates — in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad – ensuring that the US-India relationship is strong throughout the country, according to the information on its website.

With inputs from agencies