Demand for doorstep visa service rising post-pandemic: VFS Global
Says visa applications in Hyd have reached 95 per cent of pre-pandemic level in 2022
Demand for doorstep visa service rising post-pandemic: VFS Global
Hyderabad: VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology service provider for governments, on Tuesday said the visa application volume from Hyderabad has reached 95 per cent of the 2019 pre-pandemic levels and post-pandemic, visa applicants are seeking personalised service prioritising on safety and health grounds.
The peak season for travellers from India starts from the month of April to June, wherein the company receives 20,000 visa applications per day.
VFS Global provides visa at your doorstep (VAYD), a premium service for 16 client governments in India including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Switzerland and UK.
However, 26 Schengen missions, the US and Canada governments have not permitted the service provider to carry out this premium service. Depending upon a client government’s visa processing fee, VFS Global charges a fee starting from Rs 7,500 per person for the VAYD service.
Anahita Avari, Senior General Manager, South India Operations, VFS Global, said, “We started the VAYD service in 2016.However, after Covid-19, as people are more conscious about their safety and health, the demand for our premium service has doubled. Other than the visa application fee that the client has to pay to the government, VFS Global charges a service of Rs 7,500 to Rs 9,900 and above depending upon several other factors.”
Speaking about the visa application trend in Hyderabad, she said that the visa application volume in 2022 from the city has reached 95 per cent of the 2019 pre-pandemic level, registering 129 per cent growth compared to 2021. The pent-up demand, opening of international borders and eased Covid related protocols has driven this growth, he added.
Avari further said that the company also provides other visa application services such as premium lounge, for which the service fee starts from Rs 3,500 and the standard procedure of dropping by their visa application centre to submit the documents will cost around a service fee of around Rs 1,500.