Visa applications up by 60% as firm warns against frauds, use of agents

VFS Global has warned Nigerians, especially applicants to be wary of frauds, fraudulent agents and intermediaries, who falsely promise early appointment bookings in exchange for payment.

VFS made this known at a forum in Lagos on Wednesday, where it revealed that appointments are free and available on its website. Sharing important information, it noted that the surge in travel activity that began in 2022 has continued into 2024, with travel data showing promising trends.

VFS revealed that outbound travel rebounded last year to pre-pandemic levels, with tourism, family visits, and educational and business trips being the common reasons for outbound travel from Nigeria.

The body revealed that Visa volumes for applications processed via VFS Global in Nigeria are already at 60 per cent of the 2023 numbers after nearly doubling in 2023 over the previous year. It said Canada, followed by China, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, as the top outbound travel destinations.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report in collaboration with VFS Global, the African Travel & Tourism sector could potentially add $168 billion to the African economy and create over 18 million new jobs. This growth depends on policies such as improving air infrastructure, visa facilitation, and tourism marketing.

VFS noted that with the surge in travel demand from the country, visa applications submitted for various countries are at volumes higher than ever before. It said with this increased demand for visa application appointments, scammers pose as employees or associates of the organisation; or agents and intermediaries, who promise an early appointment at an additional cost to embezzle jobseekers and innocent visa applicants alike.

Speaking on the matter, Head of Operations, Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, Alok Singhal, said: “It is important for applicants to bear in mind that appointment slots are offered online based on the volume of demand or forecast and in conjunction with the Consulate’s internal capacity planning. Once scheduled, they are recommended to be at the Centre 15 minutes before the appointed time to avoid missing your slot.

“We strongly advise all applicants to be careful of touts and fraudulent parties who falsely promise early appointment bookings in exchange for payment. With the presence of location pins and information on popular social media and search platforms, many such fraudsters create a fake presence using company credentials like logos, official name, etc., and include their contact details in the details provided on these pages that deceive genuine travellers who mistake these details as the official presence of the company.”

According to the body, as part of the measures to curb such incidents, VFS Global has implemented the following measures: only applicants with a valid appointment will be permitted entry into the Centre premises, implemented a facial recognition appointment booking system initially with one embassy process (Portugal application), others will be implemented soon after.

VFS Global said visa application form validation system to integrate the form reference number with an appointment booking reference (Denmark application); OTP code is required to book the appointment to limit the intervention of agents(Canada application); anti-fraud messages across social media platforms, on the appointment letter, call centre voice messages, advertisements/posters, among others.

The body urged applicants to report any such instances by emailing the details to [email protected] Taking into consideration the higher-than-expected waiting time for application processing due to the increased demand for outbound travel, VFS Global said it has implemented a series of measures like extended hours of operations, appointments and dedicated hours for submission and pick up of passports as well as additional waiting area for applicants requiring services at the Centre.

According to the body, some important factors to be remembered while planning to apply for your visa this travel season include that VFS Global does not control appointment availability; the time taken for visa processing differs with each mission; common reasons why applications get rejected and what is covered in the refund policy.

The most common reason visa applications get rejected, VFS Global said, is due to incorrect or insufficient information submitted while applying for a visa. It is important to check the respective country websites by visiting our website www.vfsglobal.com, under the document checklist section. It said the optional form-filling service offered at an additional cost for some locations could ensure the correct information is updated.