India mission warns of illegal visa agents
UNAUTHORISED agents in the UK are reportedly illegally charging fees to get visas processed for travellers to India.
The claims are being investigated by the Indian high commission amid reports of a severe visa crunch faced by British tourists to the country.
While British travellers booked to fly to India in the coming weeks have been complaining of a lack of availability of visa slots to get their visas processed in time, the Indian High Commission last Friday (7) alerted travellers to scams and stressed that it is working on streamlining processes.
It also dismissed claims in sections of the UK media that there had been a “sudden visa rule change” that impacted British tourists. India House reiterated that individual visa applicants had always been expected to apply in person at the mission’s outsourced VFS Global centres in London.
“It has come to our notice that unauthorised agents and individuals are illegally charging fees and collecting India visa applications for submission at VFS Centres, misleading applicants and misrepresenting the services that they can legally provide,” the High Commission’s statement said.
“It is underlined that this matter is currently being investigated. High Commission of India emphasises that M/s VFS Global Services is the only authorised outsourcing service provider for India-related passport/visa/ and consular services in the UK.
“As per established procedure, individual visa applicants are, and have always been required to submit visa applications at the VFS Centres in person.
“It is reiterated that there is no change in the visa application process for individual visa applicants.
The UK no longer falls within the over 150 countries that can access the online tourist e-visa option when travelling to India, so tourists could face waits at the VFS centres.
According to consular officials, the crunch on processing dates available was caused by travel agents block-booking appointments. The issue is among the priorities for the new high commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, who visited a visa application centre in west London “to listen to applicants’ issues.