Canada opens dedicated biometric appointment system to clear student visa backlog in India
Jul 30, 2021
New Delhi [India] July 30 : In order to clear the backlog of student visas, the Canadian high commission has opened dedicated biometrics appointment queues at visa centres across India for student applicants from Friday, July 30.
"Students who have already booked their biometrics appointment need to cancel their existing appointment in order to book an earlier date using this dedicated queue on the Appointment Management System (AMS)," the Canadian high commission tweeted.
The high commission further said that the priority service is available only for study permits, short-term study and returning students. "VFS will cancel appointments from all other applicants booked under the student-dedicated queue on the AMS," it said.
"Taking into consideration the increased demand for Canadian student visa customers in India, VFS Global and the High Commission of Canada now provide a dedicated queue for the biometric appointment system with an increased capacity," Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) Global said in a statement.
An applicant can now undertake biometric enrolment at VFS Global Visa Application Centres, these centres are open for all visa categories with prior appointments.
The centres are situated in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, and Kolkata.
As lockdowns and restrictions across India slowly lift and international borders start to reopen, VFS Global is resuming services in a phased manner for its client governments.
These Visa Application Centres are operating in keeping with health and safety guidelines, local government directives and mission requirements.
