VFS Centers In India Indefinitely Closed For Passport Stamping And Biometric Collection
On May 3, 2021, the Canadian High Commission in India announced
a closure of all but the most urgent consular services due to the
emerging COVID-19 situation. Consequently, VFS centers closed for
regular services indefinitely. This echoes similar measures last
year when VFS centers in India were closed during the beginning of
the pandemic, only to finally reopen in late November 2020.
Although there is no direct instruction regarding when the centers
will reopen, and thus many people are left with no concrete idea of
how long they will have to wait for the processing of their
applications, we do have some positive news that should at least
alleviate some concern. Once the services resume, VFS centers will
waive the deadlines for passport submission and biometric
collection (30 days and 90 days respectively). No further action
will be required from applicants, and the letters they have
received will be valid despite expired dates.
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