VFS Global faces scrutiny over visa processing irregularities that force applicants to pay for 'premium' services

VFS Global, the world’s largest visa processing outsourcing company, has been accused of unfair practices including aggressive upselling of premium services, serious breaches of data privacy and systematic exploitation of visa applicants. A year-long investigative journalism investigation by Lighthouse Reports found that the Dubai-based company had built a spin-off business around selling add-ons such as SMS updates, courier returns and access to premium lounges.

VFS resale of value-added services

Founded in 2001 by Zubin Karkaria, VFS is now a multi-billion dollar company that has visa outsourcing contracts with 71 governments worldwide. The company is accused of using its near-monopoly position in EU visa processing to sell “value-added services”.

“Employees are typically paid low base salaries and awarded bonuses contingent on meeting monthly sales targets for value-added services, creating perverse incentives to sell,” the investigation found.

Allegations of bribery

Customers were also found to be subject to bribes from outside agents and even VFS staff for processing and visa interviews. One such case was Vrinda, a 71-year-old woman from Pune who was applying for a visa to visit her son in Belgium and meet her new granddaughter.

However, due to torrential rain, she was 15 minutes late for the meeting. But the VFS officer told her she had two options: Go home and book another appointment or pay ₹40,000 for the company’s premium service.

“They said no, you can come back the next day or pay. I was quite shocked,” Vrinda said in the report. “But whatever they told me, I had to follow them.

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Employees are encouraged to sell value-added services

Such practices are not limited to VFS in India. Former employees in several countries have revealed that they put such value-added services into customers’ accounts without their consent. “Most customers would just accept it,” said a former VFS employee in Kenya.

A visa officer currently working at VFS in Nigeria said bonuses for selling value-added services could be almost double the base salaries of contractors.

Concerns about the protection of personal data

In addition to the unethical upselling of premium services, the investigation also uncovered other practices by VFS Global, including lax handling of personal and biometric data to fraudulent visa procurement and visa procurement practices.

Lighthouse Reports also claimed to have obtained leaked reports from the European Commission’s own diplomatic service which revealed that EU governments were aware of persistent shortcomings in VFS services.

What VFS Global said

Responding to the report, the VFS said in a statement that it takes a “zero-tolerance approach to any coercion or misrepresentation” by its staff and that applicants are “clearly informed … that these (additional) services are optional, do not affect visa decisions or processing times, and their prices are transparent.”

The company added that it is “the world’s leading trusted provider of technology and services enabling secure mobility for governments and citizens” and that its “operations are subject to strict and continuous government oversight” and “undergo more than 10,000 audits and assessments annually by internal and external auditors, including those assigned by client governments.”

Key things

VFS Global’s practices highlight the ethical dilemmas in outsourcing visa processing services.
Investigation reveals systemic exploitation of vulnerable visa applicants through aggressive upselling.
The case underscores the need for greater transparency and regulatory oversight in the visa processing industry.