Americans are 'nervous' to visit Hyderabad:US Consulate

US Consulate in Hyderabad said that the Americans are 'nervous' about visiting Andhra Pradesh due to the political unrest and ongoing agitations in the state. Talking to the media at a press conference held in the city to explain the change in visa application form in India starting this month, US consulate officials claimed that they would review the travel advisory given to the US citizens to defer all non-essential visits to Hyderabad and certain parts of Telangana, only after January 31.

"No one knows when this issue of separate statehood ends. Somepeople want the state and some others don't. We wanted to give information to our people who are visiting the country on the happenings Here. The travel advisory expires on January 31. We will decide on withdrawing the advisory depending on whether or not peaceprevails in the state by then" said Mark A. Leoni, Consular Chief. Consulate officials agreed that the series of bandhs in the city have affected their operations in the city.

Sources from the consulate said that the consulate is closely observing the situation in the state andsince the issue also appeared prominently in US media, they were had to issue the advisory. "Advisory has no political meaning and it is not a political commentary on what US government is feeling about Telangana issue. It is just an information to the citizen of USA. However, people in our country are certainly 'nervous' about their travel here" Juliet Wurr, Public affairs officer said.

US consulate officials said that they have processed 77,000 visa applications in the city since the last 10 months of their operations in Hyderabad and that more than 70 per cent of these applicants were given visa. US consulate in Hyderabad has also become one of top 10busiest consulates in the world in terms of applications for workpermits visas.

US Consulate will start using the newly developed DS-160 web based non immigrant visa application for all visitors to USA starting January 19, 2010 in the place of electronic visa application form.