VFS Global is planning a major expansion in India. The company, which is best known for handling visa application services, now wants to move into the wider citizen services market.
The planned services could include passport applications, driving licences and national identity-related services.
The move would take VFS Global beyond its traditional visa-processing business and make it a larger administrative and technology partner for governments.
From Visa Processing to Citizen Services
VFS Global currently works with 71 governments across 168 countries and processes nearly 30 million visa applications every year.
For the past 25 years, the company has mainly handled administrative tasks related to visa applications.
These include processes that do not involve deciding whether a person should receive a visa.
Now, the company wants to use a similar model for other government services.
According to CEO Zubin Karkaria, VFS Global is exploring areas where governments can outsource administrative work while continuing to make the final decisions themselves.
This could eventually bring services such as passports, driving licences and other citizen-facing applications under VFS Global’s technology and service network.
VFS Global Already Has 200+ Centres in India
The company already has a large presence across India, with more than 200 centres.
VFS Global has been expanding into tier-2 and tier-3 cities as international travel from these locations increases.
These existing centres could give the company an advantage if it enters the citizen services market.
VFS Global already has physical infrastructure, trained staff and experience in handling sensitive government applications.
New centres, however, require approval from the relevant governments or embassies, which also take part in staff vetting.
AI Could Play a Bigger Role
Artificial intelligence is expected to become an important part of VFS Global’s future plans.
Karkaria said the company has been developing AI solutions for around three years and has already deployed AI systems for eight governments across 1,200 routes.
The technology can help identify potentially forged documents, detect unusual activity and prevent manipulation of visa appointment systems.
Facial recognition technology can also help detect attempts to use different photographs or names to manipulate appointment availability.
However, the company says AI will support human decision-making rather than replace it.
Strong Focus on Fraud Detection and Data Security
With the company handling sensitive personal and biometric information, security remains a major priority.
VFS Global says its systems are designed to prevent frontline employees from downloading, saving or printing applicant information.
The company also says biometric information is transmitted after collection rather than being retained within its systems.
VFS Global operates under government oversight and undergoes thousands of audits covering areas such as data protection, technology and security.
Citizen Services Could Become a Big Growth Opportunity
The move into citizen services could significantly expand VFS Global’s business.
Globally, the company is already moving into areas such as identity services, passports, education and medical services, along with other government-to-citizen processes.
Its acquisition of Brazil-based CiX Citizen Experience has also strengthened this business.
CiX operates more than 250 citizen-service centres and provides over 200 types of services.
This expansion could help VFS Global evolve from being primarily known as a visa-processing company into a broader technology and administrative partner for governments.
What About VFS Global’s IPO Plans?
The company has also kept the possibility of a stock-market listing open.
VFS Global had planned a listing in 2019, but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted those plans.
The company reconsidered a potential listing this year but is currently holding back amid uncertainty linked to the crisis in the Gulf region.
For now, VFS Global appears to be concentrating on expanding its business while keeping the door open for a future IPO.
What Could This Mean for Indians?
If VFS Global’s plans move forward, Indian citizens could eventually be able to access more government-related services through its existing network.
The model would remain similar to its visa business: VFS Global could handle technology, appointments, document collection and customer services, while the government would retain control over the final decision.
The proposed expansion could therefore mark a major shift for VFS Global as it looks to move from processing visas to handling a wider range of citizen services.
