VFS Global keeps mum as Nigerians condemn extortion by visa processing firm

Source: Premium Times, 03/06/2018

A visa processing, VFS Global, has been on the receiving end of
criticisms after a PREMIUM TIMES report revealed how the company
extort Nigerians who seek its services.
While angry Nigerians, civil society organisations and activists are
still complaining weeks after the report was published, the company
has refused to respond to the revelations.
Some accuse the company of mistreating Nigerians, saying it often
indiscriminately hiked its service charges as well as posed a
lackadaisical attitude in discharging the services paid for. Others,
however, blamed the country’s regulators for not setting good
standard of operation for the company.
VFS Global is an outsourcing and technology services specialist for
governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company manages
visa and passport issuance-related administrative tasks for its
client governments.
Since most countries find it cumbersome to create visa processing
desks in their embassies, VFS Global serves as the courier between
intending travellers and the diplomatic missions of the countries
they are traveling to.
In Nigeria, VFS processes visas for citizens who want to travel to
mostly European and African countries such as UK, Canada, Belgium,
France, South Africa, among others.
What irked customers the most appears to be the “unbelievably high”
service charges the company receives from applicants.
For instance, when PREMIUM TIMES commenced the investigations in
November 2017, the South African Visa fee was put at N8,600. But VFS
was collecting an additional N25,465 as service charge, almost three
times the visa fee.
The company also collects N400 as SMS charge which applicants
describe as ‘high’ complaining of not even receiving the SMS most
times.
Lanre Suraj, convener of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption
(CSNAC), said his organisati0n has been kicking against the SMS
charge which it described as “fraudulent.”
Reacting to our report, he said, “I think this is actually a
commendable effort on the part of PREMIUM TIMES for taking time to
investigate all the circumstances surrounding the exploitative
tendencies of VFS which takes undue advantage of the failure of our
monitoring agencies and institutions. Quite a number of our agencies
are terribly compromised that they don’t bother to do any form of
check.
“The SMS charge of VFS is crazy. Going by what the director of the
company said earlier, it shows VFS makes about N80 million from
Nigerians annually just from SMS alone. It is also rather unfortunate
that they charge beyond any control mechanism. I think for anywhere
in the world , the service charge should be the percentage of the
actual service. It is not reasonable to charge even 100 percent not
to talk of three times the actual service rendered.
“It is important we take it up to the appropriate agencies. We need
to also take these complaints to the embassies and intimate them on
the exploitation by VFS because they are acting on their behalf. We
need to understand if the embassies are in conspiracy with VFS to
exploit Nigerians. If not then they have to withdraw from VFS, I mean
there are still embassies that are operating without them.
“The problem is that companies like VFS tread on the vulnerability of
many Nigerians. So many people don’t know that VFS is not responsible
for the granting and refusal of their visa so they are scared of
challenging them. Regulators should sufficiently educate citizens on
this issue so they can know their rights.”
For Martins Obono, a frequent traveler, the activities of VFS in
Nigeria should be critically probed.
“Even when you call their customer care line to log in a complaint,
they will still charge you in pounds.”
Lanrey Sanusi said, “Worst about them is that your visa will get lost
and no explanation. To make it worst for you, they will tell you to
go to the embassy when you submitted it to them and when you get to
the embassy they will tell you to go back to VFS. We have two
international passports still missing for over a year now and still
the same story. They lack customer service.”
MB Adegun said, “I agree that VFS extorts. To apply for a Swedish
visitors’ visa, I paid N48,400. Only N21,900 goes to the Swedish
embassy. The official service fee is N10,950. There is an additional
courier fee (N10,950) indicated as optional on the website. But at
the counter (point of application), it is not. You are mandated to
pay it. Quite sad that they only accept cash. Their services and
charges should be looked into.”
Olugbenga Robeerts said, “Besides the gross extortion taking place,
many of us feel dehumanised, especially by members of VFS staff who
may not qualify as our own messengers in our respective offices. Most
travellers are treated without dignity. VFS staff will always find
excuse to reject many of your documents in order to allow patronage
of their in-house cohorts.
“That VFS of a company is a sell-out. The way they defraud Nigerians
is so alarming, especially the SMS charges. I don’t ever pray to have
anything to do with them again. Poor service, no customer care
service line, you can’t complain of a staff’s ill-treatment to the
superior staff and get justice.
“The bad thing is that if you don’t know how to arrange your
documents in accordance to the country you are applying for visa’s
requirements, you cannot rely on VFS staff to put you through,” a
traveller said.
VFS Keeps Mum
Before publishing the report, repeated efforts to get VFS Global to
comment turned out a wild goose chase.
An official of the company told our reporter on two occasions
then, “There is nobody available to respond to your questions.”
The telephone number listed on the company’s official website failed
to connect for months and multiple calls and SMS inquiries sent to it
therefore remain undelivered.
More than a week ago, this paper again sought the reaction of VFS to
the myriad of complaints by angry Nigerians.
An official who was busy giving applicants directives at the gate of
the company’s Abuja main office firmly told our reporter, “We have
received complaints and write ups about our SMS charge and that is
why we don’t talk or respond to journalists.”
After a while, he reluctantly called another official who contacted
the company’s Lagos office.
The official from Lagos communication desk who simply identified
himself as Deepaki on phone requested that questions be sent via two
email addresses he forwarded on that Friday in a text message.
No response has come through more than a week after questions were
forwarded to both email addresses.
Meanwhile, another look at the information board at the VFS Abuja
office still shows the company is not planning to review downwards
its service charges anytime soon.
The Ireland Visa details read: Visa fee â€` N26,000; Service charge â€`
19,450; SMS â€` 400; Courier â€` N450; Stamp Duty â€` 50.
According to information on the board, the Norway Visa fee
surprisingly read ‘zero’ but VFS collects N10, 750 as service charge.
In what appears a clever antic to keep evading responsibility for SMS
not sent or delivered, the company even put a new louder disclaimer
on the board.
Ireland Visa details.“It is not the responsibility of VFS Global to
ensure SMS service is received by the applicant,” the notice
read. ”Our obligation is to send the SMS and we shall not be liable
for any SMS not received.”