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 per cent 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 enrol 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 per cent (average y-o-y growth) in 2018," the company said.

The last year not only saw an increase in 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 per cent 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 number 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 centres."
Smaller states such as Mizoram, Telangana and Chattisgarh