Keralite expatriates residing in Saudi Arabia welcomed the opening of the VFS visa stamping centre in Kozhikode. However, reports suggest that the challenges faced by applicants seeking family or visiting visas remain unchanged. Previously, the only center in Kochi witnessed massive crowds, prompting the authorities to open a new center in the Malabar region to cater to the high number of applicants here.
Despite the advantage of avoiding travel to Kochi, many complain about the stricter guidelines imposed by VFS. The visa stamping and biometric processes now take place in India to enhance service standards, but this has led to more complexity and difficulties for the applicants. Nonetheless, expatriates remain hopeful that these procedures will be simplified in the future.
Another concern is the significant increase in service fees, which have risen from Rs 10,000 to as high as Rs 16,000. Applicants who secure appointments often face return visits due to minor errors. Families have also experienced challenges, with some members having their visa applications rejected due to errors while others are allowed visas.
Booking an appointment online has become a tedious task, taking days or even weeks in some cases. If a family member’s visa is allowed via the Saudi Arabia embassy in New Delhi, they must complete the remaining procedures at VFS centers in Kolkata, Lucknow, or Delhi.
One student’s recent experience exemplifies the difficulties faced by applicants. Hailing from Kollam and studying in Kerala, she had to travel to Delhi to get her visiting visa stamped as no booking slots were available in Kochi for the next three months. Such ordeals are especially painful for those coming from faraway places.
New guidelines further add to the complexity. For instance, a wife who previously visited Saudi Arabia on a visiting visa is now required to submit the old passport with the previous visa stamp to apply for a new visa.
In one instance, an expatriate from Alappuzha struggled to get his family’s visas stamped when only half of the family members’ applications were received. His mother’s application was rejected due to a discrepancy in her name on the passport. Now, the family has to restart the time-consuming application process to get her visa stamped.
Despite the opening of the Kozhikode center, the Kochi center remains crowded, and applicants yearn for simpler procedures as in the past, hoping for a return to normalcy soon.
Post Your Comments