VFS at US Embassy India will be shut from July 12-14, so schedule your US visa plans accordingly
On Monday, July 10, the US Embassy in India made an announcement stating that VFS, the visa application service provider, will be temporarily closed, from July 12 to July 14.
During this period, services such as appointment booking, calls, and fee payments will be unavailable.
Why?
VFS at the US Embassy India is undergoing a migration process to a 'new platform', according to an official statement from the US Embassy.
The services resume on July 15.
The temporary shut down of services at VFS is only for the US Embassy in India. VFS Global is operational for other countries.
What is VFS Global?
VFS Global specialises in managing visa and passport application processes on behalf of governments across the world.
It operates visa application centres in various countries, where individuals can submit their visa applications and supporting documents, even online.
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Indians travel to the US most
According to a Reuters report, Indians have been increasingly travelling abroad, especially to the United States. To accommodate this surge in tourism, the United States is opening two new consulates in India (Bengaluru and Ahmedabad).
The report states that the number of international travellers from India surpassed those from China, South Korea, and Japan last year.
In June, Eric Garcetti, the United States Ambassador to India, shared that the wait time for first-time tourist visa interviews in the United States has been reduced by over 50%.
Speaking at IIT Delhi, Garcetti mentioned that they are actively working towards processing visas at a faster pace than ever before. Garcetti said, "We have set a goal for ourselves to process at least a million visas in 2023, and we're already more than halfway towards reaching that goal".
(An earlier version of this story mentioned that VFS Global would be shut from July 12-14. However, the notice is only for VFS US Embassy India. VFS Global is operational through this period, and all visa applications to other countries are on as usual.)