Big News: Journalists Just Exposed VFS’s Monopoly
Dear Supporters,
Yesterday, a massive investigative piece exposing VFS dropped across multiple international media outlets, including Politico and Lighthouse Reports.
This wasn’t a quick write-up. Investigators spent over 8 months digging into internal EU documents, corporate registries, and user data to expose how VFS turned an essential public service into a profit-driven empire. I highly encourage you to read the full articles, but here is how the data directly mirrors our battle:
The "Add-On" trap: VFS relies on aggressively upselling mandatory, high-pressure "value-added services"—like forcing courier fees at the counter and eliminating free passport collection.
Quadrupled profits: By treating a state function as a commercial business, VFS quadrupled its net growth and profits between 2017 and 2024.
The monopoly blueprint: Because governments grant exclusive contracts, applicants have zero competitive alternatives, allowing artificial booking gridlocks and hidden fees to thrive unchecked.
The journalists have proven the systemic corporate greed; now, we must provide regulatory bodies and ministries with the grassroots data to force a change.
To ensure our upcoming escalations are bulletproof once we cross the 1,000-signature mark, please continue gathering evidence:
- Glitch screenshots: Calendar errors, infinite loading loops, or completely blocked standard slots.
- Receipts & Invoices: Proof of mandatory "premium" fees, forced courier services, or unrequested "assurance" charges.
- Email threads: Denied standard appointment requests or communication pushing you toward paid tiers.
Important: Please blur or cross out sensitive personal details (like passport numbers or home addresses) before saving.
Stay tuned for details on how to securely upload your proofs.
Best regards,
Joyce Jose