Chennai:
From December 1, the US Consulate General in the city will be the only centre in the country to receive and process blanket L-category visas meant for managers, executives or specialised knowledge professionals transferring within their company, a US diplomat said on Friday.
"The Consulate General in Chennai will be the US Mission to India's sole blanket L-category visa acceptance and processing centre. Companies throughout India will be requested to send blanket L applicants exclusively to Chennai for visa interviews," Chief of Consular services at the US Consulate General here Nicolas Manring told reporters.
L1B and L1A categories include specialised knowledge professionals, executives and managers transferring to US.
Explaining the reason behind the move, Manring said the centralisation was only to "increase efficiency," and will not affect the spouses and children of L1 visa holders. Individual L1B and L1A visa applicants may still be processed at any US consular section in India.
A US Consulate General release said 10 per cent of all US non-immigrant visa applications come from India. The country also accounted for 37 per cent of all L1 visas worldwide from October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011.