Visa applications submitted for various countries are at volumes higher than ever before this year.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in a recent report published in collaboration with VFS Global, estimates that Africa’s travel & tourism sector could potentially add US$168BN to the continent’s economy and create over 18 million new jobs.

This growth, the report notes, depends on policies such as improving air infrastructure, visa facilitation, and tourism marketing.

Due to the rising demand for visa application appointments, scammers are posing as employees or representatives of the organisation, as well as agents and intermediaries.

They lure job seekers and unsuspecting visa applicants by falsely promising early appointment slots in exchange for additional fees, ultimately intending to defraud them.

To avoid such fraudsters, Cleopatra Avenorgbo, DGM - Operations at VFS Global, says, “Applicants need to bear in mind that appointment slots are offered online based on the volume of demand or forecast and in conjunction with the Consulate’s internal capacity planning.

"Once scheduled, they are recommended to be at the Centre 15 minutes before the appointed time to avoid missing your slot.

"We strongly advise all applicants to be careful of touts and fraudulent parties who falsely promise early appointment bookings in exchange for payment.

"With the presence of location pins and information on popular social media and search platforms, many such fraudsters create a fake presence using company credentials like logos, official name etc. and include their contact details in the details provided on these pages that deceive genuine travellers who mistake these details as the official presence of the company.”

As part of the measures to curb such incidents, VFS Global has mandated that only applicants with a valid appointment are permitted entry into the Visa Application Centre located in Accra and Kumasi, along with other measures like:

• A visa application form validation system to integrate the form reference number with the appointment booking reference  
• OTP code is required to book the appointment to limit the intervention of agents
• Anti-fraud messages across social media platforms, on the appointment letter, call centre voice messages, advertisements/posters, etc.
•  We urge applicants to report any such instances by emailing the details to acco@vfsglobal.com

Taking into consideration the higher-than-expected waiting time for application processing due to the increased demand for outbound travel, VFS Global has implemented a series of measures like extended hours of operations, appointments and dedicated hours for submission and pick up of passports, as well as an additional waiting area for applicants requiring services at the Centre.