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VFS expands India services in US
The new North Carolina facility is part of a wider expansion aimed at improving access to passport, visa and OCI services for the growing Indian diaspora in the United States.
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Lalit K Jha (IANS) - Sun, 10, May 2026
- 07:36 EDT
- 41
Gimpse of the event / New India Abroad
VFS Global has expanded its partnership with the Indian government from six to 17 centres across the United States, including a new facility in North Carolina, as demand for faster and more accessible consular services rises among Indian Americans.
Speaking at the “India Abroad North Carolina Dialogue 2026” in Raleigh, Amit Kumar Sharma, Head Americas at VFS Global, said the expansion reflected the growing importance of the Indian diaspora in the US.
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“We are an exclusive and official partner to Embassy of India and the various consulates that they have across US,” Sharma said.
He said the company now works with 71 governments across 168 countries and described VFS Global as “the world’s largest organization in terms of providing solutions, technology and support to the government.”
“Our first project was in India in 2001,” Sharma said. “Since then, it has been a success story.”
Sharma said the newly opened VFS centre in Raleigh was aimed at making services easier for Indian Americans living in North Carolina.
“We are working closely with the people of the community,” he said.
The session, titled “VFS Global at Your Doorsteps”, focused on passports, visas, OCI services and travel procedures for the Indian diaspora.
Sharma advised applicants to avoid depending on middlemen and urged people to directly use official VFS channels for information and services.
“The process is quite simple. You don't need a third party in that,” he said.
He said applicants could access information through the VFS website, call centres or by directly visiting service centres.
“There is no cost to that,” Sharma said.
He also urged travellers not to wait until the last moment to apply for visas.
“If you are applying like five days before your travel, it can be possible that you might not get it on time,” he said.
Sharma said VFS Global had introduced several new services after the Covid-19 pandemic, including “Visa at Your Doorstep” and mobile biometric collection services.
“We launched something called Visa at your doorstep,” he said. “In case you don't want to come to our office, we can give the service at your home.”
He said the company used the pandemic period to modernise its technology and service delivery systems.
“Travel as industry is a very, very solid industry,” Sharma said. “People like to travel.”
Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy, Ambassador Namgya Khampa, also highlighted the importance of improving consular access for the diaspora.
“I know there has been a longstanding demand to have a consular delivery center here in North Carolina,” Khampa said.
She described the launch of the VFS centre in North Carolina as “really meaningful” in strengthening the connection between the Indian embassy and the Indian American community.
India has one of the largest overseas communities in the United States, with Indian Americans relying heavily on consular services related to passports, visas, OCI cards and emergency travel documentation.
The expansion of VFS centres comes amid steadily rising travel, business and educational exchanges between India and the United States, especially after the sharp rebound in international travel following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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