10+ Years Inside: Systemic exploitation and artificial appointment scarcity - Senior Manager VFS Global Employee Review

Thank you for your feedback and for your decade-long commitment to VFS Global. VFS Global's operations are subject to rigorous and continuous government oversight with defined service level agreements, performance benchmarks, and audit requirements, while governments retain full control over procurement, pricing, and renewals. Across its global network, VFS Global undergoes more than 10,000 audits and assessments annually, conducted by internal and external auditors, including those assigned by client governments. Our value-added services are designed to enhance applicant convenience. These services are developed in consultation with, and approved by, client governments. Applicants are clearly informed across multiple touchpoints — both online and at visa application centres — that these services are optional, do not influence visa decisions or processing times, and are priced transparently. The pricing is government-approved and benchmarked. Furthermore, we actively deploy robust multi-layered security measures to protect our appointment booking systems, ensuring fair access for all our applicants. Our security controls are part of an overall suite of tools and are designed to prevent unauthorised system access. Such controls are essential, but they may occasionally affect genuine users, for example if there are repeated login attempts, restrictive network, firewalls or the use of VPNs when booking an appointment. Importantly, appointment availability is entirely determined by client governments. If you have specific concerns or instances, we encourage you to report them via any of our SpeakUp channels, including the external hotline (vfsspeakup.ethicspoint.com), which allows you to report anonymously.