Important change for VFS visa applications in South Africa
Visa outsourcing and technology service VFS Global says that South Africa is experiencing a surge in demand for services – driven by pent-up demand for travel.
VFS Global is an outsourcing and technology services company for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. It allows for the application of visas and passports through its online platform and physical offices and facilitates the admin and payment, and delivery of the documentation when processed.
The group is currently visa partner for 18 governments in South Africa for visa, passport, and consular services since establishing its operations in 2007.
Since then, the company has grown its presence to an extensive network of 36 Application Centres which are present in 11 locations across the country.
The group said it has experienced a tripling in visa application volumes in 2023 so far, with year-to-date figures already almost at full-year numbers for 2022.
Hariprasad Viswanathan, head of VFS Global Sub-Saharan Africa said that the surge in travel activity in 2022 took the industry by surprise, exceeding the conservative recovery projections.
“With the industry witnessing peak ‘revenge’ travel, outbound travel continues to be on the rise from South Africa,” he said.
Due to growing demand and a need to be more conveniently located for easier access, the existing centres in Pretoria are being be relocated.
The group said its Pretoria offices have moved to a larger and more accessible location, on the Ground & First Floor at Brooklyn Pavilion, 217 Bronkhorst Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk.
VFS said that all of its existing application centres will relocate to the new address in a phased approach:
As of 15 August, applications centres for the following countries are available:
- Australia
- Austria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- Israel
- Lithuania
- Liberia
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Portugal
- South Africa (DHA)
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Ukraine
Canada services will relocate on 4 September 2023, it said.
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