After a 23-day suspension that left travellers and corporate mobility managers scrambling, Indian visa processing in Australia roared back to life on 23 July with the launch of six Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) operated by VFS Global. The new facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra replace the previous network shut down on 30 June. According to VFS, the centres feature more service counters, extended submission hours and AI-enabled customer-support channels, moves expected to slash appointment wait times that had ballooned to four weeks for business visas. Applicants must schedule slots online; walk-ins will not be entertained. The temporary stoppage had disrupted hundreds of fly-in technical assignments for mining, IT and education projects. Deloitte Mobility Services estimates that Australian companies incurred over A$1.2 million in rescheduling fees during the hiatus. With operations restored, Indian nationals studying or working Down Under can again renew passports, apply for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards and secure emergency travel documents locally rather than mailing passports to Sydney. HR directors are advised to update employee policy documents with the new ICAC postal addresses and revised fee schedule. VFS has also introduced optional courier return and photo services, allowing remote-site workers to avoid repeat city trips.
Source: The Economic Times
