Raleigh, North Carolina: VFS Global, in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Washington D.C. organized a day-long Consular Camp on July 5, 2025, at the Raleigh Convention Center. The initiative, launched to expand access to essential consular services for the Indian diaspora, was supported by the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA), at its 38th Annual Convention, the largest gathering of the Tamil community in the United States, held from July 3-5.
More than 120 applicants benefited from a streamlined process to access critical consular services such as Indian passport renewal, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) applications, passport surrender, and enrollment in the Global Entry Program (GEP), according to VFS Global.
In a special message to FeTNA, Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra commended the organization’s efforts in “fostering cultural exchange and intergenerational connections,” underscoring its role in preserving heritage and strengthening community ties.
Jag Mohan, Minister (Community & Personnel) at the Embassy of India, also attended the event. “It’s very heartening to see that a lot of members of our diaspora have turned up for our Consular camp and many related issues. We are happy to address their concerns and assist them,” Jag Mohan told South Asian Herald.
Senior officials from the Embassy of India were also present at the event, including Anand Kumar Somani, Minister (Consular), Rajesh Khanna, Attache (OCI), Sami Pahuja, Attache (Visa), and Dharmendra Singh, Assistant Attache (Consular). Representatives from VFS Global were on-site to oversee operations and interact with attendees.
President of FeTNA, Vijay Manivel told South Asian Herald “We are extremely happy to be approved by the Embassy of India to host the Consular Camp. Our sincere thanks to Ambassador Vinay Kwatra and the Embassy team for their support. It is heartening that FeTNA had the opportunity to serve the Indian diaspora during our Annual National Tamil Convention.”
Chairperson of FeTNA’s Committee for Government, Embassy & Consular Affairs, Karthik Rangarajan, described the event as a “first-of-its-kind” initiative in the four-decade history of FeTNA. He emphasized that the camp was made possible through the collective efforts of FeTNA’s Governmental Embassy and Consular Affairs (GECA) Committee, the TamilER (Emergency Response) Committee, and the USA Legal, Immigration, and Citizenship Committee.
“We are happy to have helped over 200 families with their applications and queries on the day of the camp, which received excellent feedback from attendees,” Rangarajan told South Asian Herald, expressing gratitude to Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, the Consular Wing of the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., and VFS Global for their continued support.
Local attendee Paramjeet Singh praised the experience. “I like the way they handled the consular camp. It was very smooth; the organizers arranged for everything and guided us. They also had a printing facility for documents. I had some questions about passport issues for my family, and the officers responded in a professional manner,” Singh told South Asian Herald.
Consular camps in the U.S. – a joint initiative of the Indian Embassy and VFS Global – have been growing in popularity since their inception in 2021.
Head – North America and Caribbean at VFS Global, Amit Kumar Sharma, noted the continued success of these events.
“Consular camps in the United States are a great success. They are well-received and very popular among the Indian diaspora community,” Sharma said. “We closely coordinate with the Indian Embassy and diaspora associations to organize these camps at convenient locations for the community, especially on weekends.”
Sharma added that an appointment system is established well in advance of each camp, allowing applicants to prepare necessary documentation and reduce wait times. “The most significant demand we’ve observed is for Indian passport renewal and OCI services,” he said.
Since launching in 2021, VFS Global has organized dozens of consular camps across the United States: 17 in 2021, 25 in 2022, 23 in 2023, 19 in 2024, and 7 so far in 2025. The camps, also hosted in association with Indian Consulates across the US, continue to serve as a vital resource for Indian nationals seeking consular assistance.
Associations interested in hosting a local camp may contact their nearest Indian consulate or VFS Global directly at communications@vfsglobal.com.
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