The ongoing developments around Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally have led many governments and authorities to implement stringent safety measures. Measures such as increased travel restrictions and, in most countries, complete travel bans restricting all international travel, have created a seismic shift in the tourism and travel supply chain.
Thus, as the ‘new normal’ sets in across the globe, many travellers have serious questions regarding their visa or permit processing and the right source of information. While governments, embassies and consulates continue to issue travel advisories regularly to keep consumers informed on restrictions, it remains the responsibility of the traveller to check if the country they wish to travel to is accepting visa applications.
Although most governments have suspended travel visa services, customers may still be able to apply for other categories such as long-stay visas or residence permits. At present, majority of the governments have suspended applications for all visa categories. To apply for an extension, customers should check if the concerned Visa Application Centre is open in their city/country.
Visa Application Centres will re-open based on the directives of the respective client governments/embassy/consulates. Once the Visa Application Centre re-opens, we advise our customers to check if their original appointment can be rescheduled by reaching out to the email ID or helpline mentioned on our country-specific website.
One of the key steps taken by VFS Global to help assuage our customers’ concerns is to form a dedicated COVID-19: CUSTOMER ADVISORIES page on our website for the latest updates on operations on behalf of our 64 governments across the world (vfsglobal.com/Covid-19). This page has information regarding our Visa Application Centres globally where services have been temporarily suspended, and can even help answer your questions regarding visa processes.
Apart from checking country-specific pages on our website, which has all the visa-related information, customers should also visit our official social media handles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for timely updates.
Pending applications
Those customers who were issued visas for entry into countries that have now closed their borders may contact the centre or embassy to find out about its validity. In general, for issued visas, fees cannot be refunded,but visas are sometimes valid for several months which can be used for later travel.
If a customer’s visa application is under processing, he or she might still be able to withdraw it and get a refund of the visa fee. However, refund policies vary among governments and are at the sole discretion of the government/embassy/consulate. VFS Global does not decide on visa fee refunds or timeframe.
Getting back your passport
At present, our Visa Application Centresare strictly following the instructions of the concerned government and cannot track your application during the assessment process within an embassy or consulate. Our Centre may also be kept open to return passports to customers who have already applied, or for enquiries.
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Many countries today are encouraging customers to opt for the optional courier service to get their passports deliveredfor avoiding unnecessary visits to Visa Application Centres.
Residency and Work Permits
The case of applying for work and residence permits remains country-specific. Many countries have put in place border control measures, temporarily disallowing certain categories of non-essential travellers to submit visa applications. However, if you already hold a valid work or residence permit, you may still be able to enter some countries, despite entry restrictions.
While all these restrictions might have hampered your immediate travel plans, make sure to use this time to effectively plan for your next family or solo travel when the situation improves. We look forward to servicing you with your journey soon. Until then, stay safe, and we’ll pull through this- TOGETHER!
