Demand for doorstep visa service rising post-pandemic: VFS

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, Sr 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, Soubhik Mitra, General Manager, VFS Global 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.