…As firm crossed 300 million applications milestone
Zubin Karkaria, founder/CEO of VFS Global Group, has disclosed that innovation and technology are part of the founding pillars for VFS Global, a company that conceptualised and created the business segment of outsourced visa services with its inception in 2001.
According to him, the company has introduced 16 unique digital solutions and built robust eqnd-to-end eVisa platforms for 12 sovereign governments. The company also pioneered biometric capabilities, as part of its innovation and adapting to changing market dynamics.
“We are very pleased and honoured with the achievement of this milestone, which is a testament to the trust 69 governments have in VFS Global, and a testament to the reliable, secure and innovative services we provide across 153 countries,” Karkaria said in a statement, disclosing that the company has crossed the 300 million applications milestone.
He disclosed further that the last 100 million applications have been achieved in the past 5 years despite the pandemic-driven travel slow-down of 2020-2022.
According to the statement, the company processed 24.1 million applications in 2023, 35 percent more than 2022. And has processed approximately 100,000 applications a day between January to May 2024.
“We are also deeply grateful to all visa applicants using our services. Over the past year we are honoured to have won several important contracts, including becoming the exclusive overseas visa outsourcing partner for UK Visas and DHA Australia, and contracts with Germany, Finland, Portugal and Japan who have renewed their trust in us,” Karkaria stated.
He stated further that VFS Global remains deeply committed to continuing investments in technology and human capital development to ensure continuous enhancement of its services.
“Since commencing our operations in Nigeria in 2006, we have processed over 5 million applications from the country till date. At present we service 18 governments, including the UK, through a strong network of 20 application centres across four cities in Nigeria.
“Our operations in the country are ably supported by 200 plus employees (including local nationals), which accounts for a third of our workforce in the Sub-Saharan Africa region,” VFS Global official spokesperson said.
The statement also disclosed that the firm grew from managing 60 client governments in 2019, to becoming a trusted partner of 69 governments comprising long term partnerships with 25 governments for over 15 years.
“Last year, VFS Global was honoured to have won a record seven global visa outsourcing contracts – for UK, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Iceland, and Austria – further cementing client governments’ trust in the organisation’s highly secure, efficient, and innovative solutions and its overall value proposition.”
The statement also disclosed that VFS Global has efficiently processed more than 140 million biometric enrolments since 2007. Today as more governments look to integrate biometric enrollment in their visa application process, VFS Global has further developed its capabilities with Multi-Mission Model (MMM) biometric kits.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
