MONDAY 19 AUGUST 2019Outcry as Home Office
outsources visa operations to
‘exploitative’ contractor
UK government has made £1.6bn from visa applicants in the five years since it gave contract to Dubai-based firm VFS (Alamy)
MAY BULMAN
SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
MPs and lawyers have called for an urgent review into outsourced immigration services after it emerged
Home Office profits on UK visas had surged by millions of pounds a week since visa operations were
contracted to a private firm accused of exploiting applicants.
A joint investigation by The Independent and Finance Uncovered has revealed that the UK government made
£1.6bn from visa applicants in the five years since it outsourced the bulk of its overseas visa services to
Dubai-based firm VFS – a ninefold increase on the five years before.