VFS Global, the private third-party visa service for the High Commission of India, has opened a new Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in central London. The recent opening follows to help deal with the rise in visa applications since the opening of international borders and the relaxation of the Indian government Covid guidelines.
The new centre was inaugurated on 1 November by the Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami, who said that the number of appointments has increased to 40,000 applications due to the new opening.
Additionally, Mr Doraiswami announced a new service process for group tourism. Tourists travelling from the UK in a group will now have the option of a visa at your doorstep service (VAYD). Furthermore, a new form-filling service will be offered to visa applicants.
The new IVAC is located in central London – Boston Place, Marleybone. VFS Global operates a network of ten IVACs across the United Kingdom in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, central London, Hounslow, Leicester, and Manchester.
E-Visas resumed for British nationals
It had emerged in the UK Parliament that e-visas were among the issues discussed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Rishi Sunak, during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month.
The Indian High Commissioner to the UK confirmed the resumption of e-visas for UK nationals saying the service will be available “forthwith”, and High Commission officials in London confirmed that travellers could start applying for e-visas to India.
The E-Visa has five sub-categories – e-Tourist visa, e-Business visa, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant visa and e-conference visa. The validity of the e-Visa (except for the e-Conference visa) will be 60 days from the date of arrival in India. Double entry is permitted on an e-Tourist Visa and an e-Business visa. The e-Visa service can be availed a maximum of three times in a calendar year.
