Embassy New Delhi, India and Constituent Posts - OIG - US ...

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of processing and decisionmaking, and enhanced antifraud benefits by having one staff member
review all the work. Embassy New Delhi and Consulate General Mumbai will both have the
space for consolidation. New Delhi’s newly renovated consular section has 30 visa windows.
The new consulate compound in Mumbai will have 39 visa windows.
Consolidation of IVs would also benefit other posts in India. The greatest future growth
in NIVs is anticipated to be in southern India, primarily in the consular districts of Hyderabad
and Chennai. Chennai also has a growing ACS workload, in part because of the growing
American citizen presence in Bangalore. Since Chennai is operating beyond its workspace
capacity (see Recommendation 34), moving IV functions to New Delhi or Mumbai would free
up space for Chennai to accommodate future growth in the NIV and ACS workload. Chennai
would also be in a better position to take on specialized NIV adjudications, such as H and L visa
processing, which could be consolidated there in the future.
Arguments against IV consolidation include the diversity of languages in India and
communication and travel difficulties. However, the Indian economy, including transportation
and communication, is developing rapidly, making it possible for applicants to minimize travel
and maximize preparations prior to the visa interview. In addition, a significant element of the
Indian population speaks English and/or Hindi, and local employees capable of speaking
multiple local languages, including those of other consular districts, are already employed in
Consulate General Mumbai or the embassy or can be found in the two metropolitan areas.
Recommendation 32: Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular
Affairs, should consolidate all immigrant visa operations either in Embassy New Delhi or in the
new facility at Consulate General Mumbai. (Action: Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with
CA)
American Citizens Services
Mission India provides a full range of ACS services, including passports, reports of birth,
deaths and arrests, and federal benefits. By far, the most time-consuming and challenging of
these responsibilities are those involving children – India is second in the world in active child
abduction cases, for example.
India is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on International Parental Child
Abduction but is considering joining the convention. The embassy has maintained a continuing
dialogue with Indian authorities on this issue. Over the past 5 years, Mission India has seen a 500
percent increase in the number of child abduction cases. A recent visit of the Assistant Secretary
for CA provided another opportunity to press the government on this issue. In the meantime, the
mission provides what assistance it can to the left behind parents and American citizen children,
including welfare/whereabouts visits, documentation, and monitoring cases before the courts.
Fortunately, ACS has not encountered a situation in which the welfare of the child appeared to
be at risk due to his or her presence in India.
Approximately 72,000 U.S. citizens are registered as residents in India, and 802,000
Americans visited India in 2009. At any one time, almost 234,000 Americans are in India as
residents or as visitors. Many U.S. citizens of Indian birth have returned to India to take
advantage of opportunities in the rapidly expanding Indian economy. Many Americans require
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