Mangaluru: Residents of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and neighbouring districts have been facing difficulties accessing visa application and biometric services for countries served by Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) Global. Applicants travelling to Saudi Arabia on visit, residency or family visas are required to visit a VFS centre for passport submission and visa stamping. However, the nearest centres are in Bengaluru and Kerala, forcing applicants from the coastal region to travel long distances.
Advocate Mahammad Asgar said, “To get their family visa approved, all family members have to travel to Bengaluru. Being an advocate taking up such cases, NRI Issaq CI Pajeer brought the issue to my notice explaining the severity of the problems families face. He has already requested Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta to put pressure on external affairs minister S Jaishankar to intervene and facilitate the establishment of a VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Mangaluru.”