Appointments to submit visa (application) for European countries were not available till June-end. The minimum processing time was 15 working days, but passports were not being sent back even after four weeks in many cases
The wait for a Schengen visa could take up to a month. Travel agent Anil Kalsi who is also Joint Secretary, Travel Agents Federation of India said that hundreds of people who were waiting for Schengen visas have had to lose a lot money because of cancellation of tickets due to non-arrival of Schengen visas. Appointments to submit visa (application) for European countries were not available till June-end. The minimum processing time was 15 working days, but passports were not being sent back even after four weeks in many cases.
The Swiss embassy in India on May 19, told travel agents in a communique, “With immediate effect and due to the high volume of the visa applications, the Swiss Visa VFS Centre and the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi will only accept the visa applications, with travel dates, which are not falling in next 15 days from the date of application submission at the VFS Centres across India. This is valid for all the short-term tourist visa applications.”
“UK has a waiting period of two months for visa processing but if you pay about INR 25,000 extra for a priority visa then your application will be processed in a week,” said a travel agent
The Schengen visa situation could, according to sources, get worse, reported TNN. The embassy of Denmark in New Delhi has temporarily suspended all new visa appointments at VFS due to “shortage of staff, absence and an unforeseen increase” in the number of applications. “From July 1 and until further notice, no appointment slots will be available at VFS…This announcement applies only to short stay visa applications. It does not apply to long term permit applications. Only in case of a life-threatening situation for a host in Denmark can the embassy be contacted,” VFS Global said on its website, while adding “the embassy of Denmark in New Delhi regrets any inconvenience caused by this unprecedented situation.”
A VFS Global spokesperson was quoted by TNN saying that, “We are experiencing high volumes of visa applications coupled with limited appointments availability and stretched visa processing timelines from India. On an average, VFS Global is receiving approximately 20,000 applications from India in a day which is close to the volumes recorded during pre-pandemic peak season.”
“VFS Global manages only the administrative and non-judgmental aspects of the visa application process and follows the standard operating procedure of processing applications in one business day. Information on visa decision timelines is provided by respective client governments on their websites. VFS Global stays committed to work with the client governments to increase capacity and to cater to the ever-growing demand for outbound travel from India,” the spokesperson pointed out.
According to travel agents, the problem is mainly for Schengen states. “UK has a waiting period of two months for visa processing but if you pay about INR 25,000 extra for a priority visa then your application will be processed in a week,” said a travel agent who did not wish to be named.
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