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The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Wednesday closed its office in view of the current security situation. The IVAC at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka is the main, integrated centre for all Indian visa services in the capital. "In view of the ongoing security situation, we wish to bring to your kind notice that IVAC JFP Dhaka will be closed at 2 pm today," the IVAC said in a statement. The IVAC said all applicants with appointment slots scheduled for submission on Wednesday would be rescheduled for a later date. Earlier in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka. "We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations," it said. It said the envoy was apprised of India's str
BLS International Services on Thursday said it has signed a contract with the Embassy of Cyprus in Kazakhstan to provide comprehensive visa outsourcing services. Under this agreement, BLS International will oversee Cyprus visa application operations in Kazakhstan, leveraging its global expertise and technology-driven processes to deliver a transparent and hassle-free experience for all applicants, a statement said. "This partnership with the Embassy of Cyprus in Kazakhstan signifies more than an expansion of our global footprint - it reflects our vision to make cross-border mobility simpler, smarter, and more inclusive. "Through this collaboration, we aim to deliver an experience that embodies efficiency, transparency, and ease for every traveller to Cyprus," BLS International Joint Managing Director Shikhar Aggarwal said.
The UK government is looking at bolstering a drive to attract global talent with a possible visa fee waiver to support the world's top science and tech talent relocation to the country, a media report said on Monday. The Global Talent Taskforce, backed up by a 54-million-pound Global Talent Fund launched earlier this year, is revving up further to lure international experts, including Indians, even as the US announced a clampdown on its H-1B visas used by global techies, according to a Financial Times' report. The taskforce, which reports directly to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, works across 10 Downing Street and the UK Treasury to explore ways to boost the UK's economic growth. "We're kicking around the idea of cutting (visa) costs to zero, the newspaper quoted a government official as saying. "We're talking about the sort of people who have attended the world's top five universities or have won prestigious prizes, the official said. It comes as Presi
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has attacked the BJP government commenting that an emergency has struck India's foreign policy under it and that it has failed to protect the country from arbitrary tariffs and visa fees. He also said the government has failed to protect Indians living abroad from violent attacks. In a post on microblogging site X on Saturday, Yadav said, "An emergency has struck foreign policy under the BJP rule: The BJP government is unable to protect India from arbitrary tariffs and arbitrary visa fees." He said the government is unable to keep up relations with neighbouring countries, adhere to the country's historical non-alignment policy, protect overseas Indians from handcuffs, chains, public humiliation and violent attacks, and bring any country along on the matter of terrorism. The post in Hindi added that the BJP government has put the foreign policy aside. Speaking to reporters at the party office in Lucknow, the Samajwadi Party chief slammed the