After an unexpected three-week suspension, Indian consular, passport, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and visa services are once again available across Australia. The High Commission of India in Canberra confirmed on 23 July 2026 that VFS Global has relaunched operations at six upgraded Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The hiatus, triggered by litigation over the outsourcing contract in New Delhi, created a backlog that affected thousands of Indian nationals, students and business travellers who rely on timely document processing to travel, work and study. The new centres feature larger customer service halls, extended opening hours (8:30 am–4:00 pm, Monday–Friday) and more biometric enrolment stations. Applicants can now opt for SMS status alerts, secure courier return of documents and onsite ancillary services such as photography, photocopying and form-filling assistance. VFS Global says the upgrades will allow it to handle up to 1,200 appointments a day nationally, a 40 per cent increase on the previous capacity. All appointments must be booked online and clients are advised to arrive 15 minutes early to clear security screening. For mobility managers, the restart removes a significant bottleneck for Indian assignees and their dependants. Universities can again lodge last-minute student visa submissions, tech companies can process subclass 400 specialists, and recruiters can schedule offshore skill-assessment interviews without fear of passport delays. Employers with large Indian workforces should nonetheless budget extra lead-time in July and August as VFS clears the backlog and familiarises new staff with upgraded systems. Practical tips: circulate the new centre addresses to HR teams; encourage employees to use the courier return option to avoid city-centre queues; and remind staff that walk-ins are not permitted. Where assignments are time-critical, consider engaging a registered migration agent to monitor appointment availability and escalate urgent cases with the High Commission.
Source: Singh Station
