VFS Global

Honestly this has been a very nerve wrecking experience on applying visas for me — and i have done a lot of it because of the passport i hold — but VFS delivers! My timeline was a bit tight on this. I absolutely needed to have my passport back on Thursday since I need to travel on Friday. VFS carefully vetted my application form and told me what needs to be fixed to ensure visa approval. In the end, i got me my one year multi-​entry business visa in exactly five business days as promised and just in time for me to make my trip.
I read reviews about this place being slow and crowded, but my experience told me otherwise. Maybe they have improved since a year ago? I never had to wait more than 10 mins, and their sms service is instant. I did get the confirmation sms a bit late that day though — around 7pm when the passport could be picked up at 8pm — but i’m guessing that’s due to some schedule of the passports being transported between HCI and VFS.
And to those applying visa to India — good luck. Their form is weird and asks a lot of equally odd questions. I suggest you do a lot of research (im my case CIBTvisa website helped a lot)

Located a stone’s throw away from the Farrer Park MRT, VFS is one of two agencies appointed by the High Commission of India that can process Indian visas. My husband ended up choosing this one because it was closer to our apartment. (I chose the other one because I thought it had a prettier website. Go figure.)
I wasn’t there when he dropped off the documents, but I did come along when he picked up his passport. Compared to the other agency, this office felt a lot more crowded. I think it’s because they are located in a standalone building with nothing much around the area, unlike the other agency, which is located inside a mall.
Surprisingly, most of the employees there seemed genuinely pleasant, considering the insane amount of paperwork and people they have to deal with each day. To give you an example, I tried to do my Unilocal duty by taking a photo inside, but was politely told by one of the employees that photos were not allowed inside. After I deleted the picture, I was even given a smile and a «thank you»! I am amazed that Debbie T. got away with a shot of the inside!
If I had to choose, I would go with BLS only because it felt a lot less crowded; but if VFS is a lot closer to you, it’s still a decent spot to get the bureaucratic stuff over with.

*Sigh*. I suppose it’s all about expectations, right? I spent 45 minutes waiting to be seen despite coming at 3pm on a weekday afternoon. It takes five working days to get an India visa issued and it cost me (well, my employer) $ 416 in total including fees to make a one year multiple-​entry business visa application. Multiple documentation requests, application forms that ask ridiculous and seemingly irrelevant questions, basically it’s a Kafkaesque mess.
How much of this is the fault of VFS? Not very much, save the waiting time I guess.
So why am I giving these guys a 3 star review despite having to wait for 45 minutes and be served by a trainee who managed to be simultaneously rude, demanding and unsure of herself?
Expectations. I lowered mine before coming. And you should too.