Case Study: BM.I streamlines Schengen visa processing with Capgemini’s VISION Austria

BM.I - Customer Case Study

The Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior (BM.I) faced a major challenge when preparing to implement the Schengen Agreement, which would abolish border controls with other European states. This new requirement to consult other countries on visa applications was expected to increase their processing workload tenfold, but the ministry only had simple IT systems for domestic use and no mechanism for international communication. They partnered with Capgemini to address this.

Capgemini implemented the VISION Austria system, enabling the country to join the Schengen Visa consultation network. The solution automated criminal and counter-terrorist checks across borders, processing most applications without manual intervention. As a result, the system has successfully handled a near 70% workload increase and processed over 2.3 million visa applications to date, all while maintaining high availability and receiving industry awards for its effectiveness.

BM.I