To clear a summer backlog of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) renewals and emergency visas, the Consulate-General of India in Chicago organised a one-day mobile consular camp in Edina, Minnesota, on 27 June 2026. The ‘@Your Doorstep’ initiative—run with the Indian Association of Minnesota—processed 430 applications in six hours, including 110 OCI renewals tied to new US passports, 57 tatkal passports and 48 entry visas for family emergencies. Applicants submitted biometrics and received on-the-spot acknowledgement numbers that feed directly into the IVFRT tracking system in Delhi. For Indian multinationals with secondees across America’s Midwest tech corridor, the camp reduced the need to fly staff to Chicago for paperwork, saving an estimated US $150,000 in travel costs, according to one medical-device firm that sent 28 engineers for visa transfer stamps. Consul-General Somnath Ghosh said the mission will replicate the model in St Louis and Des Moines in August. The move aligns with the Union Cabinet’s decision, earlier this month, to extend the ₹1,800-crore IVFRT programme to 2031, emphasising doorstep delivery of services. Diaspora groups welcomed the effort but asked for weekend slots to avoid work-day absences; the consulate said it is exploring Saturday operations subject to staff overtime budgets.
