(JUBA) – For South Sudanese entrepreneurs and students seeking to travel abroad for trade, study or medical care, the rising cost and complexity of visa applications across Africa has become a pressing business concern. An investigation into VFS Global, the Indian outsourcing giant that manages visa processing for 71 governments worldwide, has found that optional add-on services and unofficial appointment agencies are making the process more expensive, with complaints particularly loud in markets close to South Sudan.
The investigation by Lighthouse Reports and its media partners, including RFI, found that VFS Global has become the first point of contact for visa applicants in many African nations, often replacing direct dealings with embassies. The company, headquartered in Dubai and majority-owned by the US private equity firm Blackstone, operates in 168 countries. Its operating profits rose from €31 million to €171 million between 2017 and 2024, a sharp increase achieved despite visa application volumes growing by only 15 percent over the same period, according to financial accounts filed in Luxembourg.
VFS Global says much of that growth comes from the sale of optional paid services, known as value added services. These include SMS notifications, document courier services and access to premium lounges. The investigation collected visa application receipts from several countries. The sample suggests that these optional services account for around 30 percent of VFS Global’s worldwide revenue. In South Africa and Kenya, they represent more than one third of local revenues, and more than one quarter in Nigeria. For South Sudanese businesses that depend on travel to Kenya and other regional hubs for trade, these added costs raise the price of cross border commerce.
Across Africa, from Senegal to Kenya and Nigeria, current and former employees told reporters they received specific training in selling these services. Some said staff were under pressure to meet sales targets and were encouraged by performance bonuses. Applicants were sometimes charged, they said, for optional services without being clearly told they were not required. The services did not improve the chance of getting a visa.
A former employee in Senegal, speaking without giving a name, said the SMS notification service was often presented as almost compulsory and that there was pressure to sell premium lounge and VIP services. Former VFS employees in Kenya said SMS and courier charges were routinely added to customers’ bills, even though the services were optional. Two former staff members said they also received commissions on sales.
Inspection reports from 22 of the 29 countries making up the EU’s Schengen Zone, as well as the European Commission itself, raised similar concerns. Reports submitted by Sweden in 2025 and by the Czech Republic in 2024 referred to “excessive pressure” by VFS Global to promote additional services and criticised what they described as a lack of clarity about the optional nature of those services.
Alongside the official process, a network of unofficial operators has emerged. According to the investigation, some are run by current or former VFS employees who use their knowledge of the appointment system to set up unofficial agencies that appear to work with the company. Often located close to VFS offices, these agencies target applicants frustrated by repeated visa refusals and promise to improve their chances.
In Dakar, one applicant described her experience trying to get a French visa. “You try to find an appointment at any time and there are not any available,” she said. “So agencies take care of it for you and you pay between 75,000 and 200,000 CFA francs [about €114 to €300]. And you are not even sure you will get the visa. That is just for the appointment.” At the prevailing rate, that cost ranges from roughly $124 to $326, equivalent to between 719,200 SSP and 1,890,800 SSP for a South Sudanese applicant seeking services through similar channels.
In the DRC capital Kinshasa, reporters found evidence backing such claims. A journalist working on the investigation posed as a visa applicant and contacted one of the unofficial agencies. He was then put in touch with a VFS Global employee and met him at the company’s office. The employee allegedly demanded €650 for a visa that officially cost less than half that amount.
In June 2025, following complaints from customers in Kenya, VFS Global publicly warned about a growing number of people falsely claiming to represent the company. Stephen Kubasu, the company’s chief operating officer, said all appointment slots are available free of charge through the official website and are allocated according to projected visa demand. “Applicants should never pay third parties to obtain appointments because such claims are false,” he said.
Asked about fraudulent networks operating outside the company, VFS Global said it was actively putting in place security measures, including one time passwords and CAPTCHA verification systems, to protect its booking platforms. The company also pointed to its anti fraud awareness campaign. Regarding optional services, VFS Global said they were developed in consultation with governments and that applicants are clearly told these services are optional, do not influence visa decisions or processing times, and are priced transparently.
The investigation found no evidence that VFS Global is acting illegally. However, critics argue that the company benefits from a restrictive visa system created by governments. Paul Hermelin, CEO of French technology company Capgemini, described France’s visa policy as a “machine for creating dissatisfaction”, driven by concerns about migration and security. He noted that in Senegal, for example, there may be between 12,000 and 15,000 applications, but fewer than 3,000 student visas available for France.
“France, people are usually given a one year visa first. If everything goes well, they may receive a two year visa, then a three year visa. It can take an extraordinary number of years before someone becomes eligible for a five year visa,” Mr Hermelin said. “There are businesspeople travelling regularly between Casablanca, Dakar and Paris, university lecturers attending conferences and other frequent travellers. They are not people likely to become irregular migrants, so why not issue five year visas from the start?”
For South Sudan, where the government is working to attract foreign investment and make it easier for citizens to travel for trade and education, the findings point to a wider African problem.