After a three-week suspension that stranded thousands of travellers and expatriates, Indian consular, passport, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and visa services in Australia restarted on 23 July 2026. The High Commission of India in Canberra confirmed that VFS Global is once again the authorised outsourcing partner, having opened six upgraded Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The disruption began on 1 July when a legal challenge in India stalled the government’s tender process for outsourced consular work. Applicants could not renew passports, obtain police-clearance certificates or lodge visa and OCI requests at the height of Australia’s school-holiday travel season, creating a substantial backlog. The Supreme Court has now allowed an interim arrangement while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) launches a fresh tender. VFS Global says the refurbished centres have more counters, extended opening hours (08:30-16:00, Monday-Friday) and new customer-experience tools such as SMS tracking and on-site biometric capture. Travellers can book appointments online, but Tatkal passports, newborn cases and senior-citizen applications will be accepted on a limited walk-in basis. For Indian corporates, universities and technology firms that circulate staff between India and Australia, the reopening removes an acute bottleneck in employee mobility. Travel-management companies estimate that delayed document processing over the past three weeks cost businesses up to A$4 million in re-ticketing fees and project overruns. Employers are now advising travellers to submit applications well ahead of travel until VFS clears the accumulated caseload. Going forward, the MEA is expected to tighten performance clauses when it re-tenders the outsourcing contract. Mobility managers should monitor whether a new vendor is selected later this year, as another hand-over could temporarily affect appointment availability.
Source: Singh Station
