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VFS to provide visa services for India in Russia
Economic Times, Mumbai, July 2008
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VFS Global
appoints Raghavendra Joshi as VP and Head of IT function
Mumbai, June 2008
VFS Global, the world’s largest visa processing company handling
the back end visa processing work for the diplomatic missions worldwide has
appointed Mr. Raghavendra Joshi to head the Information Technology function.
In his capacity as Vice President and Head of its IT function, Raghavendra
would be responsible for providing leadership to IT while aligning it closely
to the Business initiatives and Service Delivery. While announcing the
appointment, Mr. Sanjay Bhaduri, COO, VFS Global, “We are delighted that
Raghavendra is joining us. Raghavendra has an impressive track record across
Information Technology service delivery and operations disciplines covering the
markets in the US, Asia and Europe.”
Mr. Bhaduri continued, “VFS Global’s business is strong and growing. To meet
the challenge of the emergent market we’re putting in place a leadership team
that is ideally suited to help VFS Global realize the enormous opportunities
ahead, while continuing to navigate the current business operations.
Raghavendra’s knowledge and expertise will be of great advantage to VFS Global.
We are certain that he will be an important asset for our future growth
strategy.”
Raghavendra, during his 15 years of experience, has handled various roles
across the Banking & Financial Services Industry (BFSI) segment and Industrial
Engineering. This gives him a well-seasoned perspective which perfectly
complements VFS Global’s needs as a young and rapidly growing company.
Raghavendra joins us from YES Bank where he was Senior Vice President – Retail
and Direct Banking, Information Technology. He was responsible for the
implementation and roll out of IT enabled products and services in the Retail
and Direct banking segments and also rolled out enterprise wide solutions.
Raghavendra has earlier worked in leading organisations like GE Capital
International Services (GECIS), Citibank NA and Infosys. At GECIS he led the
Service delivery and Operations for one of the Software Services units. At
Infosys, Raghavendra was part of the Product Management Group and was a key
player in the product development of the Banking vertical focussed CRM
solution, while also assisting the Sales and Business Consulting groups.
Between 2001 and 1997, while at Citibank NA, he played a key role in large
deployment projects across Citibank Europe and Citibank India. He also worked
with Credit Card Sales, Loans and Banking Operations functions at Citibank in
process Re-engineering.
He also has about 4 years experience in the Manufacturing industry, handling
special Engineering projects and performing Industrial product Sales roles.
Raghavendra is 39 years of age and resides in Mumbai, India.
Raghavendra has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University
and an MBA (PGDM) from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management –
Ahmedabad.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS Global
wins contract to provide visa outsourced services to the Embassy of India in
Moscow, Russia
Mumbai, June 2008
Post competitive bids, VFS Global has been awarded the contract to
provide outsourced visa services to the Embassy of India in Moscow, Russia. VFS
Global is the first Indian company to be awarded contracts for Visa & Consular
outsource services by the Ministry of External Affairs (through the Indian
diplomatic Missions) globally. As on date, VFS Global has been awarded
contracts to provide Outsourced visa & consular services to the Embassy’s’ of
India at Thailand, China, France & Russia and the High Commissions of India at
Sri Lanka, Australia & The United Kingdom.
The contracted application count, collectively, from these seven posts is over
1.12 million p.a., which contributes to more than one-fifth of the total visa
applications processed by the Indian missions worldwide (based on figures of
last year). Based on current travel indicators of rising international travel
to India, these numbers are expected to grow further. By virtue of the
geographical presence and volume of contracted capacity, VFS Global has
catapulted into being the largest service provider to the Indian diplomatic
missions across the world.
The growth in the number of missions that have entrusted and partnered with VFS
Global is nothing short of spectacular. According to Mr. Sanjay Bhaduri, Chief
Operating Officer, VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd., “VFS Global’s continuous
commitment to investment in new technologies, customization of systems and
progressive automation of process has seen acceptance by most diplomatic
missions globally.” Today the company can proudly stake claim to being the
world’s largest Visa Process Outsourcing Company!
VFS Global has recently been awarded the contract for the Embassy of India,
Moscow and will commence its operations in Russia in the last quarter of this
year.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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Canadian Embassy outsources its visa processing services
Business Daily, Nairobi, June 2008
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UK embassy enhances visa services
Arab Times, Kuwait, May 2008
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Better services for UK visa applicants
Times of Oman, Muscat, May 2008
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Indian High Commission to outsource visa applications
Economic Times, London, May 2008
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Singapore consulate adds another visa processing agency
XPRESS - Dubai, May 2008
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Visa for six Schengen countries made easy
Khaleej Times, Dubai, May 2008
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European visa process to get easier
Gulf News, Dubai, May 2008
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Schengen nations' joint visa centre in ME soon
Khaleej Times Online, Dubai, March 2008
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Indian
High Commission in UK to outsource visa application process
The Economic Times, London, February 2008
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Towards
new global economic architecture
The Hindu, February 2008
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China-India
relations are on an upswing
The Economic Times, January 2008
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Indian
Mission outsource visa services in Australia to VFS Global
TravelBizMonitor.com, Mumbai, January 2008
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New
Indian Visa Centre in Beijing
The Hindu, Beijing, January 2008
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Australia
Visa Application Centre in Indonesia managed by VFS (Indonesia) celebrates year
of service excellence
November 2007
The Australian Government was continuing to improve its visa
service provision for Indonesian students, tourists and business visitors to
Australia, Embassy Immigration First Secretary Dr Leanne Blackley said today.
Ms Blackley said the high quality of visa services available for Indonesian
visitors had been bolstered by the strong performance of the Australian Visa
Application Centre (AVAC) over the past year.
The AVAC, managed by VFS (Indonesia), will celebrate its first anniversary of
managing the Australian Embassy’s immigration clients on 21 November. The AVAC
provides a range of services including:
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Lodgment of clients’ visa application documents
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Collection of visa application charges
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Return of passports to applicants
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Answering general telephone and email enquiries and
Tracking service, so clients can track the progress of their application via
the AVAC website (www.vfs-au-id.com)
The handling fee for this service has remained at IDR 150,000 since the service
began.
“AVAC provides a very modern and friendly service to our clients in a
convenient location,” Dr Blackley said. “Recent visitors to the AVAC offices in
Jakarta and Denpasar have spoken very positively about the level of support
provided by staff and the ease of applying for visas to Australia.”
“We processed nearly 60,000 visitor visas for Indonesians planning a holiday or
short stay in Australia over the past year, a 12 per cent increase on the
previous 12 months,” she said. “The vast majority (96 per cent) of visa
applications lodged in Indonesia over the past year were approved.”
Dr Blackley said the Embassy and AVAC worked in partnership to continually
improve the services AVAC offered to visa clients. In September, for example, a
courier service was launched so that clients from locations outside Jakarta and
Bali can arrange for a courier pick up of their visa applications.
“A client survey conducted in July showed our clients were overwhelmingly
positive and satisfied about the service levels provided by AVAC,” Dr Blackley
said. “Another survey has just commenced and will continue until late next
month.”
The Australian Government had also recently made the entry requirements easier
for Indonesians wanting to study in Australia, as student numbers continue to
increase and visa compliance strengthens, she said.
The AVAC in Jakarta is located at Level 22, Plaza Asia (formerly Plaza Abda),
Jl Sudirman Kav 59, Jakarta (opposite Sudirman Place Shopping Mall). Working
hours are 8.30am to 4pm.
More information on the AVAC services is available at
www.vfs-au-id.com or
www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au
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VFS Global Services launches VACs in Bangalore, Chandigarh
TravelBizMonitor.com, Bangalore, November 2007
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UK
recording fingers and faces for the future
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, November 2007
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British
Consulate to open new visa centre in Jeddah
Khaleej Times, Jeddah, November 2007
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Embassy of
Switzerland Outsources to VFS
October 2007
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The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi today announced a new agreement with VFS
Global. This is the first outsourced visa processing services of its kind with
the Foreign Ministry/ Government of Switzerland. VFS Global will now be the
service provider of visa services to assist applicants from North India &
Bhutan who are desirous of traveling to Switzerland.
With effect from 15th November 2007, dedicated Visa Application Centre, run by
VFS Global will open in New Delhi. Applicants can submit their applications at:
Switzerland Visa Application Centre
No.4, Second Floor, Block E
International Trade Tower, Nehru Place
New Delhi - 110019
Under the new system, the Switzerland Visa Application Centre would accept
applications within the following jurisdiction areas: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
Jharkhand, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bhutan.
Applications accepted at Switzerland Visa Application Centre will be submitted
on the next working day in the embassy. The time required to process Visa
Applications is minimum of 3 working days under normal circumstances (excluding
day of submission at VFS). In case a Representative or Travel Agent is coming
to collect the application he/ she needs to carry a Photo ID of himself/
herself and an authority letter from the applicant.
The new system aims to provide applicants with a convenient and professional
service with the facility to track their application status using online
tracking system.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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Embassy of
India in Bangkok outsources visa application collection and delivery services
to VFS
October 2007
In order to bring about greater efficiency in issue of visas, the
collection of visa applications and delivery of visas Indian Embassy has
outsourced these services to VFS (Thailand) Ltd. The service will be
operational from 25 October 2007.
With the new arrangements, the Embassy will be able to provide “Next Day
Service” to Thai nationals and applicants of other nationalities normally
resident in Thailand i.e. the visa will be issued on the following day after an
application is received.
Visa applicants can submit their applications at:
India Visa Application Centre
No. 1, 15th Floor, Unit 1503
Glas Haus Building
Sukhumvit 25
Sukhumvit Road, Klong Toey-Nua
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Visa applications will be accepted from Monday to Friday from 0830 – 1500 hrs.
Visas can be collected on the next working day between 1500 – 1630 hrs.
These new arrangements will not be applicable to holders of diplomatic/official
passports or UN Laissez Passer. Visa applications for all persons in these
categories would continue to be accepted at the Embassy between 0900 and 1100
hrs on all working days.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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New
System to Streamline UK Visa Processing
Arab News, Riyadh, October 2007
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New
UK visa facilitation centre opened
Times of Oman, Muscat, October 2007
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Bahrain-UK
ties hailed
Gulf Daily News, Bahrain, September 2007
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British
High Commission, well done!
The Guardian, Nigeria, August 2007
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VFS launches
US Visa Application Centre in Malaysia
July 2007
From July 2007, applications for the non-immigrant visas (visitor
visas) to the US will need to be made at the new US Visa Application Centre at
Suite 19.05, 19th Floor, Wisma MCA 163 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450.
The US Visa Application Centre will be operated by Visa Facilitation Services
(VFS Global). The USVAC will handle only the administrative part of the visa
process, all visa applications will continue to be assessed by Visa Officers at
the US Embassy.
The responsibility for decisions on applications will remain solely with the
Visa Section of the US Embassy.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Spain Visa Application Centre in Russia
June 2007
The Embassy of Spain has appointed VFS Global to provide the
administrative support and manage non-judgmental tasks at the new Visa
Application Centres in Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg.
VFS staff will guide the visa applicants (all Russian residents) who wish to
apply for a short stay visa to travel to Spain.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Belgium Visa Application Centre in China
June 2007
The Embassy and Consulates General of Belgium are pleased to
announce the opening of their Visa Application Centres in Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou. This service is available for residents in China who wish to apply
for a Belgian Visa.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Canada Visa Application Centre in Indonesia
April 2007
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The Canadian Embassy has appointed VFS Global as their outsource service
provider to manage the administrative tasks at the Canadian Visa Application
Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Visa Application Centre is centrally located
at Lt. 22, Zone B, Plaza ABDA Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, Kav-59, Jakarta - 12190.
The Canadian Visa Application Centre's services are designed to make the
application process simple, accessible and hassle-free for our clients. In
addition to the traditional services, this Visa Application Center will also
provide enhanced services such as on-line tracking of an application's progress
and a telephone enquiry point during office hours.
Applicants can apply for Canadian visa in the below mentioned categories: -
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Visitors
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Students
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Workers
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Permanent Residents *(only those who need a travel document to return to
Canada)
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Belgium Visa Application Centre in UK
April 2007
The Embassy of Belgium in the United Kingdom is pleased to
announce the opening of their Visa Application Centre to be operated by VF
Services (UK) Limited in London.
The visa applicants can now submitted their applications in person without a
prior appointment or submit by post (those residing outside of the M25). The
postal applications can be sent by special delivery to:
5 Lower Belgrave Street,
Victoria, London SW1W 0NR
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Italy Visa Application Centre in Casablanca
March 2007
The Embassy of Italy in Morocco today announced a new agreement
with VFS Global. VFS Global will now be the service provider of visa services
to assist applicants from Morocco who are desirous of traveling to Italy.
With effect from March 2007, dedicated Visa Application Centre, run by VFS
Global will open in Casablanca. Under the new system all residents of Morocco
(except - Rabat, Saleh, Skirat & Temara whose residence fall into the
competence of the Embassy of Italy in Rabat) who wish to apply for an Italian
Visa &/or Legalization through the Consulate General of Italy in Casablanca
can submit the visa applications at the below mentioned application centre.
27,Route d' Azemmour
Casablanca, Morocco
The new system aims to provide applicants with a convenient and professional
service with the facility to track their application status using online
tracking system.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS Global
wins £ 195 Million Global Contract to Work with UKvisas in 7 Geographical
Regions
February 2007
VFS Global won the contract to work with UKvisas in 37 countries,
after a seven month process of evaluation & assessment. The contract worth
£ 195 million is for over a period of five years.
Under this contract VFS Global will provide global information service to the
applicants and establish Visa Application Centres (VACs) in the seven
geographical regions across the world.
The services offered under this contract include:-
Information Services- This aims to provide information to all visa
applicants about the practical aspects of how and where to apply for visas. The
services will be accessible via multiple mediums such as email, over the
counter, telephone, sms, etc.
Application Services- This will help to establish a network of VACs in
agreed locations and the applicants will be required to apply at the VACs in
countries where the services are offered. All new application centres will be
launched with the biometrics facility.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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VFS launches
Belgium Visa Application Centre in Russia
February 2007
The Embassy of Belgium is pleased to announce the opening of their
Visa Application Centres in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, which will be operated
by VFS Global. This service is available for Russian residents who wish to
apply for a visa to Belgium.
The new procedures offer improved and new facilities, such as on-line tracking
of an application's progress and a telephone enquiry point during office hours.
For more information visit www.vfsglobal.com
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