BENGALURU: The demand for doorstep delivery of visa services in India has grown by 144 per cent, according to an international outsourcing specialist for government and diplomatic services. A huge demand has come in from Tier-II cities across the country, including Mangaluru in Karnataka.
Speaking of the ‘Visa at your doorstep’ service, Vinay Malhotra, regional group Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, South Asia and China of VFS Global, said, “Applicants have appreciated the customised nature of the service, and the overall enhanced experience in submitting applications, documents and enrolling biometrics, all from the comfort of their home or office.”
The service was launched in India in 2016 and the demand has increased annually, said an official communication. Compared to 2017, there has been a 100 per cent growth in 2018 in the cities of Mangaluru, Goa, Lucknow, Shillong, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Telangana, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Gurgoan, it said. “In Shillong, the doorstep visa applications grew from just two in 2017 to 150 in 2018,” the statement added.
There has been a multifold increase in Tier-II cities which are already availing the services and a significant increase in number of cities opting for it for the first time.For the first time in 2018, there has been a demand for this service from 17 cities, including Erode, Amaravati, Muzaffarpur, Erode, Surat and Chattarpur. There has also been a demand from visa seekers neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Sri Lanka too, reveals data with VFS.
Despite the additional cost incurred, consumers are keen on the convenience provided, the statement pointed out, adding, “It indicates the potential for growth of personalisation and customisation in government-to-citizen services.” Corporates, travellers in big groups, film crews, celebrities and travel agencies formed the bulk of those making use of the service.
Pointing to the trend of a high growth of applications even in cities where Visa Application Centres of VFS are physically present, Malhotra said, “Flexibility and superior customer services are top priorities of customers in any sector and the visa industry is no different.”VFS offers Visa services for its 17 client governments of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany and the UK.
