VFS Global's doorstep visa service grows 144 pc in 2018

Leading outsourcing and technology services company VFS Global Sunday said demand for its doorstep delivery of visa services across the country grew on an average by 144 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in 2018. The 'Visa At Your Doorstep' service provided by the company allows applicants to submit visa applications and enroll biometrics at their home, office or location of their choice.

"In the span of one year, the demand for doorstep delivery of visa services across India grew by 144 percent (average y-o-y growth) in 2018," the company said. The last year not only saw an increase in the number of applicants from the metros but also first time demand for the services from Allahabad, Amravati, Trivandrum, Erode, Surat, Nagercoil, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Tiruppur, Muzzafarpur, Indore, Palakkad, Guwahati, Jodhpur, and Chattarpur, it said.

Started the service in 2016, the company witnessed over 100 percent growth last year from many cities, including Lucknow, Shillong, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Mangalore and Gurgaon. "The highest number of applications processed was in Nagpur, followed by Indore. In Shillong, the doorstep visa application grew from two applications in 2017 to 150 in 2018," the statement said.

Beyond the metros, there was a multi-fold rise in a number of applications from the tier-II cities, which have already been availing this service, and a significant increase in the ones that have availed the same for the first time. VFS Global Regional Group COO (Middle East, South Asia, and China) Vinay Malhotra said, "It is significant to note that there was a high growth in doorstep application numbers even in cities where there are physical centers." Smaller states such as Mizoram, Telangana, and Chattisgarh have also entered the demand circle, the company claimed.

It further said that corporates, large groups of travelers, film crews, celebrities, travel agencies and high net worth individuals were among the majority of those who availed these services. VFS Global has visa application centers in 17 cities in India, while it is offering services across the country.

In India, the company offers the service for 17 countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, the UK and others.