For millions of people, getting a visa is the key to studying, working or travelling abroad, but applicants on the African continent say the process has become increasingly expensive and difficult due to VFS Global – an Indian company that handles visa applications for dozens of African governments. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports and its media partners, including RFI, found complaints of aggressive sales tactics and a thriving market for fraud.
If you are applying in Senegal for a French visa, or in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a Chinese visa, your first point of contact may not be an embassy at all, but VFS Global. The outsourcing company manages appointments and application processing on behalf of governments around the world. With operations in 168 countries and under contract with 71 governments, VFS Global has become a familiar part of the visa process worldwide. Yet for many applicants in Africa, obtaining a visa has become a costly and complicated ordeal. "I don't really understand how the whole system works," says Aliou, a Senegalese graffiti artist and entrepreneur who regularly applies for visas to Europe. "What's happening with visas in Africa is a complete mess. To me, it feels like a scam." Similar complaints were repeated by many of the African applicants interviewed during the Lighthouse Reports investigation – "The Visa Empire: Borders as a Business". VFS Global, which is headquartered in Dubai and majority-owned by the US private equity firm Blackstone, saw its operating profits rise from €31m to €171m between 2017 and 2024. That sharp increase came despite visa application volumes growing by only 15 percent over the same period, according to financial accounts filed in Luxembourg. The company says much of that growth comes from the sale of optional paid services, known as value-added services (VAS). These include SMS notifications, document courier services and access to premium lounges. Such services have become a key part of the company's business model.
