Lifestyle

VFS Global CEO Highlights Resilience of Travel and Growing Indian Mobility

By HT Correspondent

VFS Global founder and CEO Zubin Karkaria told the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit that travel rebounds quickly after crises, with domestic travel picking up while international travel returns faster than expected. He said that after Covid, “revenge travel” proved that the desire to travel never faded.

Karkaria noted that India has become a “powerhouse” of global mobility, with foreign visits shifting from aspiration to necessity. He cited that passport penetration in India is about 8 %, creating a large pool of new travelers. India sends more skilled workers abroad than any other country, is a growing source of friends‑and‑relatives travel, and is the second‑largest source market for international students.

VFS Global, headquartered in Dubai, works with 71 governments and processes roughly 30 million visa applications a year. Karkaria said Indian students traveling abroad are increasingly choosing Europe, with growth of almost 70 % per year in travel to Germany, Austria, Spain and France, compared with previous preferences for the US, UK, Canada or Australia.

He added that India has signed migration and mobility agreements with several EU countries, and that European states are actively supporting Indian students. Karkaria said that while artificial intelligence will assist in travel processes, it will not decide visa outcomes, as sovereign governments retain the right to control entry.

Addressing data‑safety concerns, Karkaria explained that VFS Global does not store applicant data. Biometrics are captured in live‑monitored booths and transmitted securely, and names and addresses are deleted once passports are returned. Passports are returned in sealed envelopes, so VFS does not know whether a visa was granted.

He warned against fraudulent agents who promise early appointments and guaranteed visas, urging applicants to apply well in advance and to rely only on embassies and consulates for visa decisions.

Karkaria also highlighted the expansion of visa application access in India. From the late 1990s, when applicants outside major cities had to travel overnight, India now has more than 23 application locations and doorstep services. The visa process itself has been simplified; for example, a UK visa now largely involves a fingerprint appointment rather than extensive documentation.

He recalled that in 2001 he proposed outsourcing the visa process to the US embassy, arguing that officers should spend 25 minutes assessing applicants and five minutes on paperwork. A six‑month pilot in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune grew into a homegrown company that now serves 71 governments through 4,000 centres in 170 countries.