Thousands of Australians waiting to apply for Indian visas, passport renewals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards remain unable to access services after a Delhi High Court ruling set aside part of India’s overseas consular outsourcing tender process, delaying the rollout of new service contracts, including Australia.
The judgment, delivered on 15 July, concerns requests for proposals issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs for outsourced Consular, Passport and Visa services in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Kuwait. The court found shortcomings in the technical evaluation process and directed the Ministry to undertake a fresh technical assessment before proceeding further.
The Australian procurement was one of four tenders considered together by the court.
The Indian Sun understands the decision has left the Australian VFS contract in an unusual position. While the court directed that services should continue under existing contractual arrangements pending a fresh technical evaluation, the previous outsourcing contract for Indian consular services in Australia had already expired before the new agreement could take effect.
That has left Indian visa, passport and consular services temporarily suspended, with no current operating contract in place.
VFS Global, which has managed India’s outsourced visa and consular services in Australia for almost two decades and was selected as the preferred provider under the latest procurement process, is not a petitioner in the court proceedings.
People familiar with the company’s Australian operations said VFS Global had already completed preparations for the new contract, including recruiting and training staff, leasing premises and installing new systems before the rollout was halted.
According to one person familiar with the company’s operations, about 120 Australian staff are currently unable to begin work while the legal position is resolved.
VFS Global has continued to provide customer support during the suspension and has advised applicants that passports and documents processed before the disruption remain available for collection. Applicants whose passports are currently with the company may also request their return where appropriate.
The Ministry of External Affairs is now expected to determine how services can resume while complying with the court’s directions.
For thousands of applicants across Australia, the priority remains the restoration of passport, visa and OCI services as quickly as possible.
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