The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka said that the foreign company entrusted with the process of visa processing at the Bandaranaike International Airport is a notorious company that claims many black marks in the field and it is a matter of surprise that such a company has received cabinet approval. . Sri Lanka Latest News
The announcement further states:
The visa-licensing company set up the Swiss-owned Kuoni travel company, VFS Global, as an Indian subsidiary, headquartered in Dubai and Zurich, Switzerland. It is majority-owned by the Blackstone Group, with the remainder owned by Kuoni and Kuoni’s owners, EQT.
Blackstone Group is a US investment management company that manages assets. It has been accused of using child labor and deforestation. After the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, it has been criticized for its unethical business practices of acquiring homes from bankrupt owners. Another point to note is that the sharing of personal information without permission is also subject to compensation.
Over the past two decades, VFS Global has faced significant criticism from governments, investigative journalists and its clients.
The company has been accused of pressuring visa applicants to purchase services that are often unnecessary and beyond their financial means.
In 2019, the British Home Office faced numerous complaints from people obtaining visas through VFS Global, many of whom accused the company of exploiting applicants for financial gain.
The company has been accused of “extorting” and “unfairly treating” applicants in developing countries such as Nigeria in uncertain situations.
VFS Global, which manages passport issuing services, has been accused of operating as a monopoly in the sector.
The allegations have raised concerns about the high cost of visa applications and questions about centralized document handling and security breaches of related data.
Sensitive personal information may have been leaked through these vulnerabilities.
By outsourcing immigration and immigration services to VFS Global, the most vulnerable citizens are in danger of being exposed to exploitation and monopolistic practices.
This would be a loss of government revenue, in addition to the inefficiencies highlighted by the performance of the company’s employees on the night of May 1.
