Australia and VFS Global extend visa service delivery in India and Nepal

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1 12 June 2014 Press Release Australia and extend visa service delivery in India and Nepal Visa application process for Australia made convenient through 13 state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres Australia s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and have agreed to provide visa application services through three new and 10 upgraded Australia Visa Application Centres (VACs) across the region. Travellers to Australia from India and Nepal can now apply for their visas more conveniently from nine upgraded VACs located in Indian cities of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai (North) and New Delhi, and one in Kathmandu, Nepal. In future, visa applicants can lodge their visa requests from three new Australia VACs, to be rolled out in Jalandhar, Mumbai (South) and Pune over the next two weeks. This enhanced service network will save time and travel expense, and will speed up the entire visa application process. While inaugurating the Australia VAC in Mumbai on 12 June 2014, Mr Mark Pierce, Australian Consul General, Mumbai welcomed the new facilities and hoped that they would help lead to increased numbers of Indian business leaders, students and tourists to Australia. For the first time in its history, our High Commission in New Delhi issued more than 100,000 tourism visas to Indians in a single financial year, with numbers increasing by 10 percent in the first three months of this year. This is a real milestone for the bilateral relationship, said Mr Pierce. This follows a 50 per cent increase in Indian student visa applications over the last year. Upbeat about this partnership, Mr Anil Katoch, COO - South Asia, stated, VFS Global is privileged to partner the Government of Australia since October 2007 in India and Nepal, besides serving the client government in 21 other countries globally. Catering to the growing demand of Australia bound travellers in India; we aim to offer high-quality applicant-friendly services to provide a seamless visa application experience to all travellers applying through our Visa Application Centres. This extension of our association with the Government of Australia reflects their faith in our abilities, and we are sure this will go a long way in forging a longstanding partnership with. The key features of the new centres include: Conveniently located and easily accessible state-of-the art Visa Application Centres Revised operating hours keeping in mind applicants convenience and country specific requirements Dedicated counters for applicants and travel agents/ tour operators Premium Lounge facilities available at Chennai and Bengaluru locations Facility for witnessing copies of original passports and documents Internet kiosk with scanning and mailing facility SMS service for tracking application status Video Conferencing facility for interviews

2 100% secure handling of passports, documents and personal information Professional and responsive staff with local language capability dedicated to handle visa queries and applications Automated queue governance for smooth flow of applicants, providing better crowd management Dedicated website for easy access to information including visa categories, requirements and checklist and applicable fees Dedicated call centres and support to answer queries and status of application Doorstep delivery of passports All applications will continue to be assessed and processed by respective missions of Australia in the region. For more information about the visa application centres, please visit Australia Visa Application Centres in India & Nepal CONTACT DETAILS AND TIMINGS Helpline: India: Nepal: info.auin@vfshelpline.com Website: ADDRESS AND TIMINGS New Delhi Address: 9, Ground Floor, Block E, International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi Chandigarh Address: Elante Offices, Entry from Gate No. 3, Unit no. B 209, Second Floor, Office Block B, Plot no A, Industrial & Business Park, Phase - I, Chandigarh (U T) Jalandhar (Opening on 16 June 2014) Address: Aman Plaza, 3rd Floor, 310 Lajpat Nagar, Mahavir Marg, Jalandhar

3 Mumbai (North) Address: Trade Centre, 5th Floor, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai Mumbai (South) Address: Raheja Centre, Ground Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai Ahmedabad Address: Gujarat Chambers Building, Shri Ambika Mills, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad Pune (Opening on 16 June 2014) Address: Shorab Hall, Office no 501, 5th Floor, Tadiwala Road, Behind Pune Railway Station, Pune Chennai Address: Fagun Towers, Second floor, No 74, Ethiraj Salai, Egmore, Chennai Hyderabad Address: Ashoka Capitol, 2nd Floor, Unit no. 206, Banjara Hills, Road no. 2, Hyderabad

4 Bengaluru Address: Block Numbers 301, 302, 303, 304, 2nd Floor, Prestige Atrium, No 1, Central Street, Bengaluru Kochi Address: Ground Floor, S & T Arcade, Kurisupally Road, Opp. Cochin Shipyard, Ravipuram, Kochi Kolkata Address: Rene Tower, Building No. 1842, Rajdanga Main Road, Rajdanga, Kolkata, , India Landmark: Near Geetanjali Stadium Kathmandu (Nepal) Address: Four Square Building, 4th Floor, Near to Police Head Quarter, Ward no.1, Bhupi Marga,Narayan Chawor, Naxal, Katmandu, Nepal Business Hours: 0800hrs hrs Monday - Friday (except declared holidays) will be responsible only for accepting applications for Australian visas. All applications received at Visa Application centres in India and Nepal will be assessed and processed by the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. Timelines for turnaround of visas are as per the discretion of the authorities. Please visit the website for details on submission hours for each location.

5 About Australia Australian society is a melting pot of cultures. While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the traditional inhabitants of the land, immigrants from more than 200 countries also call Australia home, making it one of the world's most multicultural nations. Since World War II, more than seven million migrants have come to Australia. Up to the 1970s, the majority came from Europe but now many more migrants come from Asia, and since 1996 the number of migrants from Africa and the Middle East has almost doubled. The nation has developed a highly diversified economy with considerable strengths, particularly in the mining and agricultural sectors as well as manufacturing and services, and it has become increasingly economically integrated with Asia. About is the world s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. With 1226 Visa Application Centres (VACs) located in 111 countries across five continents as at 30 April 2014, serves the interests of the diplomatic missions of 45 client governments. s worldwide operations are certified ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management System, ISO 27001:2005 for Information Security Management System and ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Management System by TÜV SÜD, one of the world s leading external and independent certification bodies. The company has successfully processed over 79 million applications since its inception in For more information, please visit Media Contacts Consulate General of Australia, Mumbai Rahul Dubey, Public Affairs Officer: Rahul.Dubey@dfat.gov.au Bianca Nagpal: BiancaN@vfsglobal.com # # #