VFS Global shares important advisory on visa appointments.

As the surge in travel activity continues into 2025, visa applications submitted for various countries are at volumes higher than ever before According to the World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) report in collaboration with VFS Global, the African Travel Tourism sector could potentially add US$168BN to the African economy and create over 18 million new jobs.

This growth depends on policies such as improving air infrastructure, visa services, and tourism marketing.

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.

Commenting on the matter, Mr. Stephen Kubasu, General Manager-Operations at VFS Global, 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.”

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.
 Visa application form validation system to integrate the form reference number with the appointment booking reference
 OTP code is required to book the appointment to limit the intervention of agents

 Anti-fraud messages across social media platforms, on the appointment letter, call centre voice messages, advertisements/posters, etc.

 We urge applicants to report any such instances by emailing the details to acco@vfsglobal.com Taking into consideration the higher-than-expected waiting time for application processing due to the increased demand for outbound travel, VFS Global 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.

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