13th December, 2023
By Taiwo Okanlawon
• New contracts will also see significant investment in technology to improve the customer experience, accessibility, and security.
• The UK contract is the sixth global contract won by VFS Global during 2023.
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 a long line of 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 & Middle East, Americas, Australasia & Europe, China & Taiwan, and Asia & Asia Pacific regions.
These centres will accept all categories of visa applications as well as UK passport applications in some locations. Combined, these new centres are estimated to process 3.8 million applicants every year.
In the African region, VFS Global will deploy Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centres for the UK in 31 countries over the course of next year.
The list of locations include Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, 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 through 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 to take the next step towards providing customers with a seamless, simple, and 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 travellers from across the African region with Nigeria being the one of the top four application locations*.
This win comes soon after VFS Global was awarded the global biometric collection service mandate with Australia and the renewal of the global visa service contract with Sweden.
VFS Global has won the mandate to provide UK visa services in the following countries –
AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST
Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, Zimbabwe
AMERICAS, AUSTRALASIA & EUROPE
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela