A new Indian Visa Application Centre has been opened in London to deal with the catastrophic backlog in visa applications for India.
Recent sudden changes to the ability of tourists to obtain visas through third party agents meant that applications had to be made in person at India Visa Application Centres (IVACs). Since there were insufficient appointments, tens of thousands had to cancel or postpone their trips to India.
The new centre in Boston Place, Marylebone is being run by VFS Global and has opened the India Visa Application Centre (IVAC) for the Indian High Commission.
It was inaugurated today by the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami. The new centre is the third IVAC in London, with a total of 10 IVACs across the United Kingdom in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, central London, Hounslow, Leicester, and Manchester.
VFS Global says it has also introduced more appointments to deal with long waiting lists. Existing IVACs in London and Birmingham have started receiving applications on Saturdays and weekday afternoons. It says these measures will “double the current capacity so that VFS Global can support the Indian High Commission to release more appointments”.
The Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami said in a video message on Friday, “The number of appointments we have been able to do has increased to about 40,000 per month thanks to our partners at VFS Global.”
Mr Doraiswami also announced that a new process is being introduced for those travelling as a group, typically, via a travel agency to the same destination using the same flights. Tourists from the U.K will now also have the option of a ‘Visa At Your Doorstep’ (VAYD) service for £180 within 25 miles of a centre, and £180 plus 0.45p per mile beyond 25 miles from the centre.
Details of this service are available here :
Advisory_for_Group_Tourism.pdf
Also, tourists from the U.K will now also have the option of a visa at your doorstep service (VAYD) at a cost.
Mr Doraiswami added, “Your papers can be collected at your home and will be brought to you after it is processed. To help with that, the service provider will also offer a special service to get your documents checked online for a small cost. We are also starting a form-filling service which will be offered by our service provider VSF Global”
Details of this service are available here:
Additional Services | vfsglobal
Speaking about the new Centre, Aditya Arora, COO, of VFS Global said, “The new VAC will increase the visa application capacity in London by providing additional appointment slots. This along with the recently opened visa centre in Glasgow will double the capacity of visas handled by VFS Global. We are always looking at finding practical solutions to address customer experience challenges. As a responsible service provider that manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to visa applications for the governments we work with, we have taken measures along with the High Commissioner of India in London to help visa applicants with a seamless visa application experience”.
VFS Global is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions. It is majority-owned by funds managed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for their investors, the companies in which they invest, and the communities in which they work.