Visa applications from Chandigarh saw 20% growth last year

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Chandigarh, March 6

As overseas travel continues to surge, the volume of visa applications from the city in the year 2023 remained strong and exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

According to VFS Global, the visa application volume from Chandigarh registered a 20% year-on-year growth in 2023. When compared to the pre-pandemic numbers, the visa application volume exceeded the 2019 level by 22%.

VFS Global is the trusted partner to 52 sovereign governments and provides visa services on their behalf through a network of over 560 visa application centres spread across 19 cities.

The demand pattern in Chandigarh was in line with the overall growth trend registered in India, which saw a 16% year-on-year rise in visa applications in 2023. In comparison to the pre-pandemic numbers, the visa application volume from India reached 93% of the 2019 levels.

A few of the popular destinations preferred by travellers from India last year were Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

“We continued to witness robust demand from India and the entire South Asia region in 2022, which led to an extended peak outbound travel season with steady volumes witnessed throughout the year. We remain committed to providing exceptional customer service through technology-led, seamless, highly secure and reliable solutions,” said Vishal Jairath, Head– South Asia, VFS Global.

Strong demand for personalised services continued to be a defining trend in the 2023 visa application patterns as well. VFS Global recorded a strong uptick in customised services such as the Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) that empowers applicants to complete their entire visa application submission process from the comfort of their homes or any other location of their choice.

Jairath added that applicants must be wary of fake websites/social media pages impersonating VFS Global and selling appointments in exchange of money.