[3] In 2018, VFS processed approximately 25 million visa applications, often containing passport details and financial histories, on behalf of the British Home Office and 61 other governments.

[4][5][6] Visa applicants from lower-income countries have reported missed flights and wrongful denials due to delays and errors, including failure to scan key documents.

In 2009, financial records indicated that VFS Global's parent company at the time, VF Worldwide Holdings, was an offshore corporation in Mauritius, an African tax haven.

[11] Later that year, in November, VFS Global expanded its visa services in Cyprus with new centres launched in the additional cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Gurugram, and Jaipur.

[13] In August 2019, an in-depth financial investigation by the British newspaper The Independent revealed that VFS Global had experienced exponential growth in recent years and its shareholders extracted £567m through "distribution to owner" payments and inter-company loan write-offs.

[14] Prior to October 2021, the company was owned by a private equity fund and, as VF Worldwide Holdings, is incorporated in the African tax haven of Mauritius.

[3][6] In 2019, the British Home Office was deluged by complaints from customers applying for visas using VFS Global,[6] many of whom accused the company of "exploiting vulnerable applicants for profit.

"[6] The majority of these applicants were from lower-income countries, and they "missed flights and were wrongly denied visas due to delays and administrative errors, including apparent failure to scan vital documents.

[23] Its alleged monopoly has led to issues related to prohibitive visa application prices and also sparked concerns in the areas of centralised document handling and content security.

[25] In 2019, the Nigerian government's Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs accused VFS Global of "extorting" and "mistreating" vulnerable visa applicants in developing countries such as Nigeria.

[6][26] Additionally, the government placed the company under investigation for "allegations of abusive market dominance and unlawful tender procedures, resulting in excessive visa application prices and hidden fees.