Visa processing in the Indian capital narrowly avoided paralysis on Friday after large student-led demonstrations over an examination scandal blocked arterial roads and metro stations. In an evening advisory, outsourcing giant VFS Global confirmed that all six Visa Application Centres (VACs) in New Delhi remained “fully operational during regular business hours”. The company acknowledged that many applicants struggled to reach Connaught Place, Shivaji Stadium and Nehru Place hubs because of police diversions and suspended bus routes. To prevent missed travel dates, VFS said it would honour walk-ins who arrive “earlier or later than their scheduled slot wherever operationally feasible”. Security staff have been instructed to fast-track elderly, disabled and business-class travellers, while additional counters were opened to clear backlogs created during the afternoon traffic gridlock. Friday’s reassurance is significant for multinational firms that funnel dozens of assignees and fly-in technicians through the capital every week. New Delhi handles more than a third of India’s foreign visa volume and is the sole location for several high-demand Schengen, Gulf and African missions that do not maintain regional centres. Any prolonged shutdown would have forced applicants to reschedule biometrics in Mumbai or Bengaluru—adding weeks to project timelines and jeopardising penalty-laden client contracts. Corporate mobility managers are advised to: 1) monitor VFS Global’s X feed and website before dispatching employees to the VAC; 2) budget extra travel time to reach the centres until protests subside; and 3) carry printed appointment confirmations, which guards are using to prioritise entry. Employers with urgent departures can request the paid Prime Time or Visa At Your Doorstep services, which VFS says continue to operate normally in Delhi-NCR. The episode underlines the need for business travellers to build contingency windows into visa schedules during India’s monsoon protest season, when transport disruptions are common. While Friday’s protests eased by nightfall, local police have not ruled out further demonstrations over the weekend, meaning flexibility at the VACs could be extended beyond 24 July.
Source: The Economic Times
