Apply for visa as early as possible to avoid shady agents: VFS Global

The case of hundreds of Indian students in Canada facing deportation has once again highlighted the role of shady visa agents and operators who issue fake visa papers in return for huge sums of money.

As of now, 240 countries have accepted Indian students for postgraduate studies with Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States being the top study abroad options, according to data from the Ministry of External Affairs.

With Indian students making a beeline for study abroad and the need for visas at an all-time high, many are falling into the trap of unscrupulous agents to pursue their foreign dreams.

“During the student season, which usually starts from mid-May and runs through September, the rush for visas is high. Thus, it is important for students to be careful of miscreants looking to take advantage of this peak demand period,” a spokesperson for VFS Global, specialist In outsourcing of visas and technology services to governments and diplomatic missions, he told IANS.

Indians going abroad for higher education reached a six-year high in 2022 at more than 7.5 lakh, Parliament reported earlier this year.

According to a RedSeer report, it is estimated that 1.8 million Indians—attracted by global career opportunities and world-class universities—will spend US$85 billion on education abroad by 2024.

“Given the unprecedented pent-up demand for outbound travel from India, it is advisable to apply for visas as early as possible to avoid falling prey to such gray operators,” the spokesperson told IANS.

“Visa applicants are advised to exercise caution when contacted by outside entities posing as visa service providers, or promising a positive visa appointment or decision by misusing our company name or otherwise.”

In addition, the spokesperson said that it is also the responsibility of the students to make proper checks and check the details of the educational institutions they intend to study in rather than just relying on agents.

The company, which has processed more than 256 million applications since its inception in 2001, said it makes continuous efforts to raise awareness among the general public about visa scams and scams.

An IANS spokesperson said the company is continually “utilizing all points of contact with our customers to warn visa applicants about this risk”.

Recently, security personnel at VFS Global, which operates a global network of more than 3,400 application centers in 145 countries, arrested a group of seven applicants with false documents to apply for Italian visas in New Delhi.

The documents were allegedly presented to the applicants by two agents located in Delhi for Rs 30,000 to Rs 55,000.

During the investigations it was found that the fake papers were created by the fraudsters by forging the VFS Global logo.

“We will continue to be vigilant against fraudulent third party entities that prey on travelers and work closely with police authorities to mitigate the risk,” the spokesperson said.

(Meenakshi Iyer can be reached at [email protected])

– Jans

mi / bg