Consular outsourcing & Visa services is a niche billion dollar industry with over a billion traveling annually for business, leisure or to immigrate. To handle such volumes this industry perforce invests heavily on cutting edge technology. BLS International, India’s largest company and second largest globally, with 102 offices worldwide in 51 countries and processing 16 million applications has a Data Management System that manages complex work-flows across five continents for the latest technology at work.

The visa application process value chain broadly consists of four major elements: application, verification, decision and document return. Barring decision making process BLS International has in-built proprietary software solution for each of the process: passport tracking, biometric solutions, e-visas, data handling, website development for each of the countries, online appointment scheduling and payment systems and more.

Digitalization is part of BLS’s every day endeavor in its drive to be user-friendly, secure networks for data security, and support client governments with that latest MIS. The technology is seen at every interface in the process for Passport and Visa cycle:

• Appointment Booking System: Providing a user-friendly interface to the applicant for scheduling their appointment as per their convenience through Website, Call Center etc.

• Information Dissemination: Providing essential information to applicants through dedicated websites for each client diplomatic mission and call centers. .

• Acceptance of Applications: Visa applications are accepted across the counter at the VACs or applicants can apply online on a dedicated website, developed and operated by BLS. The skilled workforce ensures all the data are captured in a system for a single source for the next process of the cycle.

• Biometrics enrolment: BLS provides an end-to-end solution ranging for biometric data capture through customized software and its subsequent transfer to IT systems of the Mission.

• Database Creation: BLS has extensive experience in capturing text and photo-image data for uploading into the systems of diplomatic missions either through online file transfer or creation of data barcodes for subsequent scanning or CD-ROM.

• SMS Service Solution: Applicants can stay updated about their visa application status through SMS alerts at critical stages of the visa process; applicants are relieved of undue anxiety and impatience.

• Passport Track-and-Trace: This provides convenience and transparency to the visa process with the ability to track the movement of the passport through different stages of the process via the website.

• Hub-and-Spoke: This provides access to VACs through a wide network of collection centers, and streamlines the processing at one hub for better control and quality.

• Online Modules: These provide customized web-based solutions such as online appointments, customized application forms and various options of web payments to clients.

• Data and Document Management System: In the course of every day work there is large information flow and data management. BLS offers solutions in customized data storage platforms and manages papers currently used for visa processing. The digitized format of the documents through scanning and indexing is made available to the missions.

The benefits of digitization are that data can be readily accessed whenever required. The stringent quality check ensures that the complete end-to-end process are met and the cycle with zero error. Their operations are certified ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management Systems and ISO 270001-2013 for Information Security Management Systems.

Digital India was launched by the Government of India in 2015 to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and increased Internet connectivity.

The motto of Digital India is “Power to Empower”. BLS International has followed that path since its inception in 2005 for the highest performance standards and transparency for a service delivery that every applicant is entitled. The power of technology and digitization for an empowerment in passport, visa, and consular attestation services.