VFS Global reports that, in 2023, visa application volumes globally were at 80% of 2019 levels and South African volumes were nearing pre-pandemic levels at 94%.
The company said it had received 24,1 million applications in 2023 compared with 30,31 million in 2019.
Owing to the surge in global travel demand, VFS Global processed a record 35% more global visa applications in 2023 than in 2022, and 25% more in South Africa.
"Based on the initial trends, we expect the increases in international travel in 2022 and 2023 to continue this year as well," said VFS Global Head of Operations of Southern Africa, Nadia Wicks.
The upward trend in global applications is expected to continue throughout 2024.
"Outbound travel has rebounded last year to near pre-pandemic levels, with tourism, family visits, and educational as well as business trips being the common reasons for outbound travel from South Africa," said Wicks.
In South Africa alone, in 2023 there was a 27% increase in visa application volumes over 2022 and six times those in 2021.
For VFS SA, South Africa's top outbound destinations in 2023 were Canada and Australia, as well as Schengen destinations including Italy and the Netherlands. (VFS has a limited portfolio of countries for which it assists with visas.)
