Seattle, WA

Indian consulate in Seattle opens new visa application centres

Published

2 years ago

July 13, 2024

Indian consulate in Seattle opens new visa application centres

India has launched two new visa and passport centres in Seattle city of Washington state of the U.S., catering to the needs of the Indian community living in nine Pacific Northwestern states of this country.

The two centres in Seattle and Bellevue ¬ both in the Washington State ¬ inaugurated on Friday, July 12, come months soon after the opening of the newest Indian Consulate in Seattle.

The other five existing Indian consulates are in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco.

“The opening of the Indian Consulate in Seattle is a reflection of the Indian government’s strong commitment to deepen our relations with Pacific Northwestern states of USA,” Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Seattle, said at the opening ceremony.

The centre is being run and managed by VFS Global on behalf of the Indian Government.

VFS Global is the exclusive service provider for visa, OCI, passport, renunciation of Indian citizenship, and Global Entry Programme (GEP) verification services for the Indian government in the US.

“Through the opening of these new visa application centres (VAC) in Seattle and Bellevue, we hope to ensure for all consular applicants a more convenient experience to adequately prepare their travel to India,” Mr. Gupta said.

According to a statement, the Seattle centre will be equipped with world-class facilities aimed at providing an easily accessible and superior application experience for customers and will make the application process more convenient for travellers.

These services are expected to benefit the nearly half million-strong Indian diaspora community in the consular jurisdiction of the Indian Consulate in Seattle, which covers the Nine Pacific Northwestern States of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

“Providing smooth and efficient consular services is one of our top priorities and we would welcome any feedback and suggestions on further improvement from all applicants as we commence our consular operations in the Greater Seattle Area,” Mr. Gupta said.

Amit Kumar Sharma, Head, of Americas, VFS Global, said: “VFS Global has shared a long-standing relationship with the Government of India since 2008 and it is excited to expand its partnership further.

“The new centre in Seattle and Bellevue, United States of America, will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for visa and consular services to India,” he said.

“We are confident that these visa application centres will enhance customer experience by making the visa application process even more smooth, thereby helping us serve the travellers and Indian diaspora better,” Mr. Sharma said.

VFS Global is the first outsourced visa services partner of the Ministry of External Affairs (India) and has been serving the Government of India since 2008. VFS Global is the exclusive service provider for visa, OCI, passport, renunciation of Indian citizenship, and Global Entry Programme (GEP) verification services for the Government of India in the United States of America.

In the United States of America, VFS Global has provided passport, visa and consular services on behalf of the Embassy and Consulates of India located across the country since 2020.

At present, VFS Global manages 52 Passport, Visa and Consular Services Application Centres for the Government of India in 13 countries: Australia, Belgium, France, Iraq, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom.

In the statement, VFS said these spacious facilities equipped with modern amenities and services will have well-trained customer service representatives to assist visa applicants at every step, enhancing customer experience further, as well as, India visa and consular applicants getting dedicated call-centre.

VFS Global has launched the Seattle Centre to manage visas, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), passport applications, renunciation of Indian citizenship and the Global Entry Programme (GEP).

Additionally, VFS will operate the Bellevue centre, to extend assistance for members of the Indian community, the statement said.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who attended the Friday event alongside Port Commissioner Sam Cho and State Rep. Vandana Slatter, presented the first Indian passport and visa to eager applicants, marking a special moment for the community.

Mayor Harrell expressed admiration for the Indian community in Seattle, praising their contributions to enriching the bonds between India and the USA.

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Seattle, WA

Passan’s take on Seattle Mariners’ potential SP decision

Published

6 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Passan’s take on Seattle Mariners’ potential SP decision

The Seattle Mariners have been staring down a difficult decision for weeks now and it’s only getting closer as Bryce Miller nears the end of his rehab assignment.

Two factors Hyphen sees in Bryan Woo’s recent struggles

When Miller makes his return to the big league club, which is now less than two weeks away barring a setback, the Mariners will have six capable starters but only five rotation spots.

The assumption when Miller started the season on the injured list was that he would replace Emerson Hancock when he returned, but Hancock has been Seattle’s best starter thus far, posting a 2.59 ERA over seven starts while striking out batters at a career-best 28.9% clip.

Now it looks as if veteran Luis Castillo could be the top candidate to taken out of the rotation. In seven starts this season, the right-hander has produced a 6.29 ERA and minus-0.8 bWAR.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan weighed in on the possibility of Castillo being taken out of the starting rotation when he joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday.

“I think it all depends on where Luis Castillo’s frame of mind is,” Passan said. “If Luis Castillo is open to going to the bullpen, you consider that. And if he is not, then you take a look and see what his willingness to go on the injured list is. And if that’s not the case, then maybe you do consider a six-man rotation. I think there are just lots of different possibilities here.”

For Passan, what Castillo has done for the organization, which includes helping the team reach the playoffs twice, is also an important part of the equation.

“I think what also factors in is Luis Castillo has done this for a really long time at a really high level and been a really important part of the success that you’ve had organizationally, and I don’t take that lightly,” Passan said. “I think the way that you treat people who have done right by you and helped you get into the position (you’re in), they’re not disposable. So you can’t just say to Luis Castillo, you’re not performing right now, you’re going to the pen.

“Well, you could. I just don’t know how well that goes over and I don’t know what sort of precedent that sets for treatment of players going forward.”

Passan added that moving Castillo to the bullpen is the type of “cold” decision a contender has to make sometimes, but that having a productive Castillo is also key for the team.

“Having a productive Luis Castillo makes them much likelier to be a World Series team,” Passan said. “You can get rid of your manager and survive that. But knowing that Castillo has to be around still, you just need to be mindful of the way – not even the way that you’re treating him, because the way that you’re treating him is through your perspective. The question is, how does he feel like he’s being treated? That is imperative here, and if you can thread the needle and figure out a way to solve your problem while still keeping Luis Castillo content, then that’s the ideal (situation). That’s the goal, that is the aim of this whole thing. And it’s a very delicate and difficult subject.”

Castillo in line for positive regression?

While it has been a struggle for Castillo early on, Passan sees some reason to believe his numbers will level out with more starts. He pointed to Castillo’s 4.25 FIP, which is nearly identical to Bryan Woo’s and better than Logan Gilbert’s. However, he is concerned with Castillo’s career-low groundball rate.

“Ever since he’s come to Seattle, he’s been much more of a flyball pitcher. But he’s down to a 33% ground ball rate this year. Not good,” Passan said. “I will say this, the positive regression is going to come in the form of runners being stranded. He’s got a strand rate right now of only 58.8%, league average is somewhere in the 70-plus range.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Mariners coverage

• Seattle Mariners place Gabe Speier on IL, add two lefty relievers
• The latest on Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh’s injury
• Seattle Mariners showing some concerning signs on defense
• Mariners prospect Felnin Celesten on a tear for High-A Everett
• What Mariners’ Emerson Hancock says has been key to his breakout

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Seattle, WA

Ritchie's homecoming spoiled with 5-run 6th inning

Published

18 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Ritchie's homecoming spoiled with 5-run 6th inning

SEATTLE – Matt Olson hit his 300th career homer and Drake Baldwin homered in his first career plate appearance as a leadoff man. By the time Austin Riley hit Atlanta’s third home run of the sixth inning and fourth of the night, it seemed like JR Ritchie’s homecoming would be

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Seattle, WA

BIZNOTE: New retail shop to open in former Willow space in West Seattle Junction

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

BIZNOTE: New retail shop to open in former Willow space in West Seattle Junction

The West Seattle Junction space formerly occupied by Willow, preceded by Fleurt, will not be empty for long. A familiar Junction fashion entrepreneur is moving into 4536 California SW – here’s the announcement:

Well-known West Seattle staple Carmilia’s announced today that it will open a new store in the Alaska Junction, offering everything from skincare products to fashion accessories. The new store, located at 4536 California Ave SW, formerly home to Fleurt and Willow, will do a soft opening on Art Walk Night, May 14, 2026. Carmilia’s owner, Linda Walsh, is at the helm of the project.
The store will be filled with all of Walsh’s favorite things: shoes, accessories, and gifts, at a variety of price points. It’s the perfect place to find unique and playful items for your next celebration or shopping spree. The store’s scheduled hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm, and Sunday 10 am-4 pm.

Walsh told us she hasn’t yet settled on a name, so if you pass the future shop’s windows you will probably see “Watch This Space” as a placeholder!

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