United Kingdom
India opened a new Indian visa center in Marylebone, central London for processing of applications, offering doorstep service and document authentication and verification.
Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami inaugurated the new center which will be operated by VFS Global — the outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions.
“The number of appointments we have been able to do has increased greatly… to about 40,000 per month, thanks to our partners at VFS,” Doraiswami said in a video message shared on Twitter.
Last couple of weeks due to the high demand of travelers which resulted in long delays for in-person visa applications, many had to cancel their trips.
He added that the opening of a new visa processing facility “should be able to facilitate greater access and greater ease of applications”.
The center is now open for up to 200 appointments a day, according to the Indian High Commission in London.
The new center is the third Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in London, with 10 IVACs across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, central London, Hounslow, Leicester, and Manchester.
Doraiswami also announced that a new process is being introduced for those traveling as a group, typically, via a travel agency to the same destination using the same flights.
A Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service, at the cost of around GBP 180 within 25 miles of a center, has also been introduced for those traveling to India from the UK.
“For passengers looking for an easier way of getting visas, our visa service provider will be rolling out Visa At Your Doorstep services. You will be able to have your visa collected from your residence and brought to you after processing against a cost,” Doraiswami said.
“The new IVAC will increase the visa application capacity in London by providing additional appointment slots. This along with the recently opened visa center in Glasgow will double the capacity of visas handled by VFS Global,” said Aditya Arora, COO, VFS Global.
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