High Commission of India : Outsourcing of Visa, Passport and OCI Services  

• High Commissioner's Message of 1 August 2008 
  

  1 August 2008

   

   

  UPDATE ON THE VISA, PASSPORT & OCI OUTSOURCING PROCESS

   

  I thought the Indian community would be interested in getting an update on how the outsourcing by the High Commission and the Consulates General of Visa, Passport & OCI services was proceeding.

   

  It is now 6 months since the commencement of operations by the first India Passport and Visa Services Centre on the 30th January 2008 in Canberra. Since then IP&VSC’s have also commenced operations on schedule, in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. 

   

  In these 6 months, the IP&VSC’s have processed over 26,000 visa, passport and OCI applications, answered over 28,000 calls and responded to over 24,000 email queries.

   

  The High Commission and Consulates have been co-ordinating closely with the IP&VSC’s to ensure that the services rendered are speedy, efficient and customer friendly.  I am glad to inform that the feedback received from applicants for these services has been overwhelmingly positive.  While there are still some complaints about the difficulty in getting through on the phone, the number of complaints has come down considerably, which in itself is an indication of the improvement in our consular services to the public.

   

  Visa applications from Queensland and West Australia are presently taking three working days to process from the date they are lodged with the VFS office in Brisbane or Perth. It will be appreciated by those familiar with how many days it takes to receive visas from various other countries, that this is still a reasonably short time. What is important here is to apply for the visa well in time and not at the last minute.

   

  We are paying special attention to prompt answering of telephone queries.  To this end, VFS now has a call centre with 8 operators for calls from all over Australia on the new number 18 000 10706.  Along with VFS, the High Commission and Consulates General would be constantly monitoring the service to ensure timely and effective responses.

   

  We have also done a survey of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) and find that much of the information asked for is already available on the web page of the High Commission or the Consulates or VFS itself.

   

  High Commission of India, Canberra :  http://www.hcindia-au.org ;

   

  Consulate General of India, Sydney  : http://www.indianconsulatesydney.org;

   

  Consulate General of India, Melbourne: www.cgimelb.org ;

   

  M/s VFS Australia Pty Ltd.: http://www.vfs-in-au.net.

  I would hence like to repeat the request made to the public in my first message i.e., to first look for the required information on the web page.  As you are aware, you can yourself track the current status of your application on the VFS website, to which the High Commission and Consulate websites are linked.

   

  I am also glad to inform that the service centres would be offering debit/credit card facilities starting from 11 August. Details of charges for use of debit/ credit cards may be seen on the VFS web site. This would satisfy a long standing demand from the public.

   

  We are also working on introducing online forms.  As the first phase of this endeavour, from 1 September 2008, forms can be filled online and then printed and signed for submission with the required fees and documents.

   

  The High Commission and Consulates General would welcome suggestions on how we may further improve our consular services.  Concise and constructive comments or suggestions, with the full name and contact details of the sender may please be sent to the Head of Chancery, High Commission of India, 3-5 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (e-mail: hoc@hcindia-au.org ;Fax: 02-62731308).

   

  Thank you for your patience and support.

   

   

   

  Sujatha Singh

   

   

   

  INFORMATION ON VFS WEBSITE

   

  We have found that delays in processing applications are mostly due to incomplete forms, or delay in submission of applications routed through travel agents or on account of inadequate or no mailing fees. Applicants are therefore encouraged to use the website www.vfs-in-au.net for:

   

  •  downloadable application forms

  •  details of supporting documents to be submitted with the form

  •  checklists

  •  applicable fees

  •  available payment options

  •  procedure for postal applications

   

  Applicants choosing to submit their applications by post must ensure that all necessary details, documents, and appropriate return envelope are submitted to ensure one stage processing and to avoid delays in processing.

   

  It has been observed that many applications received by post do not have the banker’s cheque/money order appropriately addressed to VFS Services Australia Pty Ltd (details can be found on the How to Apply section of the website www.vfs-in-au.net) resulting in the application kept pending until the appropriate banker’s cheque is resent by the applicant.

   

  Applicants are, therefore, encouraged to use the website and the checklist to ensure there is no delay in processing their application.

   

   

   

   

  NEW NUMBER OF VFS FOR TELEPHONE QUERIES: 18 000 10706

   

  I seek the understanding, cooperation and support of all those making telephone queries regarding our visa and other consular services.  We find that:

   

  •  a lot of calls and e-mails seek information already available on the website

  •  most other calls are to enquire about the status of applications

   

  The necessity for these calls would be avoided if our websites are read carefully.  The end result of such calls has often been that timely access has often not been available to genuine seekers of information and even to those who require emergency services.  We would not like such a situation to continue.

   

  Our aim is to respond to every genuine enquiry in a timely manner.  At the same time, we are not following the practice of some Embassies/ High Commissions which do not accept telephone queries.  I would, therefore, appeal to all those who seek consular services from the High Commission and the Consulates General to help us provide better and quicker service by:

   

  •  carefully reading and following the procedures spelt out in our websites

  •  completing all applications in full

  •  enclosing all documents and fees required

  •  including required envelope for return mail

  •  using tracking facilities to ascertain the current status

   

  For individual enquiries, brief and succinct e-mails could be sent to the designated addresses given in the websites for respective services.

   

  Telephone queries, if any, may please be brief.  This would help supervisory officers to monitor and audit responses.

  
  
• 14 March 2008 Update on the Outsourcing of Visa, Passport and OCI Services
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  A Message to the Indian Community from Mrs. Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner for India

I am happy to inform that starting from early 2008, the High Commission of India in Canberra and the Consulates General of India in Sydney and Melbourne will be outsourcing visa, passport and OCI collection and delivery processes.

The decision to outsource this work is in order to ensure that our visa, passport and OCI application process is as efficient and customer friendly as possible. The growing Indian community in Australia and the rapid transformation of India-Australia relations in recent years has resulted, inter-alia, in an unprecedented growth in the number of business travelers, tourists and other Australian residents visiting India . Given the strong growth in interactions in the economic, commercial, technological, educational, cultural and virtually all other fields, and the close ties that the vibrant Indian Australian community retain with their country of origin, the demand for visa & passport and other consular services continues to grow. 

The outsourcing contract has been awarded to an Indian firm M/s VFS Services Australia Pty Ltd., which will be opening six visa & Passport Services Centres all over Australia , as follows:

Centre                                     Date of Opening

Canberra                            30 Jan uary

Sydney 21 February

Melbourne 04 March

Brisbane 14 March

Perth 28 March           

Adelaide 18 April

M/s VFS has considerable experience in handling visa applications in various countries.  They are partner to 19 foreign diplomatic missions across the world, with operations spanning 39 countries.  VFS has also been trusted with outsourcing visa services by the Indian Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka , Thailand , China , France and the UK .  VFS has a modern IT driven on-line application and tracking system, which is expected to provide excellent value-added service. This will be at a reasonable cost of A$ 16.36 (plus GST) per application. 

Visa, passport and OCI fees and service charges for all applications with effect from the respective dates of opening of the six Visa & Passport Services Centres (V&PSC) will be payable to M/s VFS Services Australia Pty Ltd. 

Our commitment to offering efficient visa, passport and OCI services will be reflected in the six customer friendly and easily accessible Visa & Passport Services Centre (V&PSC). All the six Centres are at places easily accessible by public transport and with nearby parking facilities, which will be convenient to those who prefer to apply for visas in person. The Centres will also offer prompt and efficient responses to all queries including telephone and e-mail queries relating to these services.  

The visa, passport and OCI fees and service charges can be paid in cash, drafts or money orders. Arrangement for payment by credit card/ debit card will be in place by May. 

There will be an on-line tracking facility for all visa, passport & OCI related documents, functional elegant office space for personalized service with user-friendly computer facilities and bi-lingual staff to handle applications submitted in person, and a Call Centre.

With regard to telephone queries in particular, I seek the understanding, cooperation and support of all those availing of our visa and other consular services.  I fully understand the exasperation of those who cannot get through to us on dedicated telephone lines, either because the lines are busy or the voice mail boxes are full.  An analysis made by us reveals that most telephone calls and e-mails, often fairly lengthy, either seek information which is already available on our websites or are in the nature of enquiries on the status of receipt or delay in dispatch of documents.  Our experience has been that delays in turn were mostly due to incomplete forms, or delay in submission of applications routed through travel agents or on account of inadequate or no mailing fees.  The end result has been that timely access has often not available to genuine seekers of information and even to those who require emergency services.  We obviously cannot allow such a situation to continue.

Our aim is to respond to every genuine enquiry in a timely manner.  At the same time, we will not follow the practice of some Embassies/ High Commissions which do not accept telephone queries.  I would appeal to all those who seek consular services from the High Commission and the Consulates General to help us provide better and quicker service by carefully reading and following the procedures spelt out in our websites, completing all applications in full, enclosing all documents and fees required, including for return mail, and using tracking facilities to ascertain the current status.  For individual enquiries, brief and succinct e-mails could be sent to the designated addresses given in the websites for respective services.  Telephone queries, if any, may please be brief.  This would help supervisory officers to monitor and audit responses.

While we will outsource the collection and delivery process of our visa, passport & OCI applications, the Consular Wings of the High Commission and Consulates General and Honorary Consulates will continue to offer services after office hours or on holidays for emergency travel on extreme compassionate grounds (death in the family).

In our continuing effort to improve consular services, the websites on consular and visa services in the High Commission and all the Consulates General in Australia are being streamlined and harmonized. We will endeavour to further improve dissemination of current information on a range of issues of interest, covering economic, commercial and other developments and related information on customs duties, investment regulations, etc., by offering convenient links to the websites.

I would welcome suggestions on how we may further improve our consular services.  Concise and constructive comments or suggestions, with the full name and contact details of the sender may please be sent to the Head of Chancery , High Commission of India, 3-5 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (e-mail: hoc@hcindia-au.org ; Fax: 02-62731308).

While this is a lengthy message, I thought it would be useful to keep the community informed in some detail about the steps we are taking to improve our services in areas that are of interest to all of us.

It is our hope that 2008 will usher in, through all these measures, a qualitative improvement in the visa, passport and OCI services offered.

I would like to wish all of you the very best for a successful, happy and prosperous 2008.

Sujatha Singh

High Commissioner

Canberra

*************** **************

MEDIA RELEASE, 14 March 2008 

OUTSOURCING OF VISA, PASSPORT AND OCI SERVICES - UPDATE 

In order to ensure that the visa, passport and OCI application process is as convenient, fast and customer friendly as possible, the High Commission of India and the Consulate Generals of India had decided to outsource these services in Australia to M/s VFS Services Australia Pty Ltd.

2.       M/s VFS have since set up Visa & Passport Services Centres (V&PSC) in the following cities:

Centre                                               Address

Canberra (30 January’08)                 Unit 2, 20 Allara Street, Canberra city, ACT 2601

Sydney (21 February’08)                   Level 1, 64 Clarence Street, Sydney 2000

Melbourne (4 March’08)                    Suite 9.18 & 9.19, 401 Docklands Drive, Docklands VIC 3008

Brisbane (14 March’08)                     Shop No 6; 38 Warry Street, Fortitude valley, Brisbane- 4006

[Central Contact Centre No.: +61 (02) 92993539 from 8:30 hrs - 15:00 hrs (Mon-Fri)]

3.       The Centres in Perth and Adelaide will be opened as follows:

          Centre                                               Date of Opening

Perth                                                 28 March 2008            

Adelaide                                            18 April 2008

4.       The V&PSCs would accept applications for the following services:

1.     Issue of visa for travel to India (except for Diplomatic and Official passports);

2.     Issue of passports;

3.     Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cards.

4.     Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Cards.

5.       Application forms can be collected from the V&PSCs and also downloaded from the High Commission and Consulates General websites.  A service charge of A$ 16.36 plus GST per applicant will apply in addition to regular fees, details of which are available on the websites of the High Commission and the Consulates General. 

6.       In case the applicant wishes the Passport to be sent through courier/express post etc., separate postal charges will be required to be paid.

7.       Once the V&PSCs are operational, the High Commission of India in Canberra, Consulates General of India in Sydney & Melbourne and Honorary Consulates of India in Perth and Brisbane, will not accept applications for issue of visas (except for diplomatic & official passports, for which applications will continue to be received by the High Commission/ Consulates General), passports and OCI/PIO Cards.  Applications received after opening of V&PSCs  will be processed subject to additional service charge being paid by the applicant.

8.       The High Commission and the Consulates General in Sydney & Melbourne will, however, continue to receive applications for other Consular Services as follows:

·         Consular Attestations

·         Miscellaneous Consular Services like Police Clearance Certificate, Birth Certificates, Life Certificates etc.

9.       In case of requirement of urgent travel to India on extreme compassionate grounds (death in the family), the High Commission or the Consulates General may be approached directly.  Additional charges are applicable for processing such applications outside office hours. 

10.     The Honorary Consulates in Perth and Brisbane would continue to accept applications for attestation of documents and Life Certificate.  They may also be approached in case of requirement of urgent travel to India on extreme compassionate grounds (death in the family).

11.     Our commitment to offering efficient visa, passport and OCI services will be reflected in customer friendly and easily accessible Visa, passport and OCI Application Centres.  The Centres will also offer prompt and efficient responses to all queries including telephone and e-mail queries relating to these services.  In addition, the Centres would accept fees in cash, drafts/ money orders, and later through credit card/ debit card.  They would also be open without break for longer consular hours – from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, on all working days.

12.     For further details, please visit the website of the High Commission of India, Canberra (http://www.hcindia-au.org), Consulate General of India, Sydney (http://www.indianconsulatesydney.org), Consulate General of India, Melbourne (http://www.cgindiamel-au.org), and M/s VFS Australia Pty Ltd (http://www.vfs-in-au.net).

Canberra
14 March, 2008

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