Bhubaneswar: VFS Global will make a dedicated Visa Application Centre operational in Bhubaneswar from April 1, coinciding with Odisha Day.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed the development on his X handle.
Pradhan said he had written to Union Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, requesting the establishment of a VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Bhubaneswar. “I had also discussed the matter with VFS Global’s CEO, Zubin Karkaria,” the minister noted.
VFS Global has now accepted his request to open a visa application centre in the State capital.
“For this important decision, I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr. Jaishankar, and Zubin Karkaria,” Pradhan said.
With this initiative, students and businesspersons from Odisha will no longer need to travel to Kolkata or other cities for visa-related work. This will save time, money, and effort, while also creating new employment opportunities for local youth, the minister added.
“I believe this step will prove to be a milestone in strengthening Odisha’s international connectivity,” Pradhan said.
In a letter to Pradhan, Karkaria wrote: “We deeply appreciate your support and guidance in enabling this important initiative for the people of Odisha. We reached out to our respective client governments to seek special permission to commence acceptance of visa applications from Bhubaneswar. We are hopeful of operationalising the visa application centre with visa services for the United Kingdom and select Schengen countries in the initial phase.”
Karkaria added that, along with the visa application centre, VFS Global would also offer visa concierge services to assist applicants with form filling, document guidance, travel insurance, and other visa-related support services.
He said the process would make visa applications more efficient, convenient, and seamless for citizens, especially first-time travellers, students, and families.
He further noted that the initiative would generate employment opportunities for local youth in Bhubaneswar, who would be trained and deployed by the company.
