Foreign visa applications up 48%
FOREIGN VISA applications by Filipinos last year increased by 48% from 2022, data from the world’s largest visa outsourcing and technology firm revealed on Tuesday.
In a statement, VFS Global said the volume of visa applications in 2023 even surpassed the figure in pre-pandemic year 2019 by 35%.
Records showed that Filipinos preferred applying for visas to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland, it said.
“We continue to see a healthy adoption of contactless and personalized services such as Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) and Premium Lounge by discerning travelers post-pandemic due to health considerations,” said Kaushik Ghosh, who heads the VFS Global Australasia Division.
“We are confident that this positive travel momentum will sustain in 2024 as well,” he said.
The VAYD service allows applicants to complete their entire visa application submission process from their homes, VFS Global said adding that bookings for the service saw a two-fold increase compared to 2019.
The Premium Lounge service in application centers allows end-to-end personalized assistance in visa submission in an in-house lounge facility.
In December, VFS Global, which works with 29 governments, partnered with the Embassy of Italy in Manila to launch four state-of-the-art visa application centers nationwide to make it more convenient for travelers to apply for visas. — John Victor D. Ordoñez