After more than three weeks of disruption, the High Commission of India in Canberra has confirmed the full resumption of Indian passport, visa, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and other consular services in Australia. From 23 July 2026, outsourced provider VFS Global is again accepting applications through six upgraded Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra. VFS Global halted new applications on 1 July after rivals mounted a legal challenge in Delhi against the Indian government’s tender process. Australia’s large Indian diaspora – now estimated at 780,000 people – suddenly faced cancelled appointments, while Australian corporates struggled to obtain business visas for urgent travel to India. Airlines also reported a spike in refund requests as passengers postponed trips pending clarity. The Delhi High Court’s ruling last week to scrap the tender paved the way for an interim arrangement. Under the stop-gap deal, VFS Global will process applications until a new tender is completed, but with beefed-up staffing, longer opening hours and an online appointment system designed to clear a backlog of more than 18,000 files. Business Standard reports that priority slots have been set aside for corporate travellers and medical emergencies. For mobility managers the immediate implication is that Indian visa lead-times should return to normal (about 3–5 working days for e-Business visas) once the backlog is cleared. Companies are being advised to re-submit any applications returned during the suspension and to budget for higher courier and biometrics fees introduced with the new ICAC network. Travellers should also note a temporary requirement to present printed appointment confirmations at the centres while systems are stabilised. Longer term, the incident underscores the vulnerabilities of outsourced visa-processing models. Several large Australian employers told their immigration advisers they will now build extra buffer time into project plans involving travel to India, and are lobbying Canberra and New Delhi to pilot trusted-traveller schemes for APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders.
Source: Business Standard
