VFS Global, a trusted partner for the UK Government since 2003, has won the global contract for overseas UK visa and citizenship services. This award is the latest in many wins for the world’s leading visa, passport, and citizen services provider.
In 2024, VFS Global will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, Australasia and Europe, China and Taiwan, and the Asia and Pacific regions.
These centers will accept all categories of visa applications and UK passport applications in some locations. These new centers are estimated to process 3.8 million applicants yearly.
In the African region, VFS Global will deploy Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) centers for the UK in 31 countries over the next year.
The list of locations includes The Gambia, Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Beyond the scale of the deployment, VFS Global will invest to improve the customer journey and increase accessibility, including through new customer websites and updated in-person experiences.
VFS Global will deploy its latest technologies to maintain robust identity checks and ensure the integrity of the visa and passport application process. The new contract is expected to deliver savings to the UK government.
Zubin Karkaria, Founder and CEO of VFS Global, said, “We are delighted to win this contract and expand our partnership with the Home Office to become their service provider for all UK visa customers overseas. “We are excited to begin operations in new locations and take the next step towards providing customers with a seamless, simple, secure visa and passport application experience. This win is a testament to our dedicated efforts to provide all our client governments with best-in-class services,” he said.
The UK is a popular destination for travelers across Africa, with Nigeria being one of the top four application locations.
