Hyderabad,March'05: The Canadian High Commission has announced the opening of Visa Application Centres in nine cities across India. This initiative is aimed at giving applicants for temporary visas the option of submitting their application at a centre geographically convenient to them instead of to the High Commission in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Chandigarh.

The Visa Application Centres will be located in New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. All the centres will open on March 9, 2005.

The Canadian Government has selected VFS (India)Private Limited to operate the new Visa Application Centres. VFS also offers the applicants to opt for a courier service for return delivery of the passports directly to their doorstep.

With the new arrangements in place, Indian residents applying for all types of temporary visas (visitors,students, and workers) will now be able to submit visa applications across the counter at these nine application centers. The applications will then be forwarded daily by courier to the High Commission or the Consulate General in Chandigarh for assessment.

For the majority of tourists and business travellers,interviews would continue to be very much the exception as they are today. An interview, when required, can be conveniently and easily scheduled.

Announcing the new arrangements, Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Lucie Edwards said,I am
delighted to announce the opening of Visa Application Centres across India. With Canada as a growing destination for work, study, business or tourism for an increasing number of Indians, we are pleased to make it easier to apply for a visa. This measure will provide applicants with a convenient and professional client service and will further enhance the growing people to people contacts between Canada and India.

Details on the Canada Visa Application Centers will be available from March 7, 2005 on:
http://www.vfs-canada.co.in/