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Inside the billion-dollar business of getting a visa

An investigation reveals how visa giant VFS Global profits from millions of visa applications from the Global South. Getting a visa can be expensive, frustrating, and for many people, unsuccessful. So what happens when governments outsource that process to private companies? An

Inside the billion-dollar business of getting a visa
Al Jazeera โ€” 2 June 2026
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An investigation reveals how visa giant VFS Global profits from millions of visa applications from the Global South.

Getting a visa can be expensive, frustrating, and for many people, unsuccessful. So what happens when governments outsource that process to private companies? An investigation by Lighthouse Reports examines VFS Global, the worldโ€™s largest visa processing firm, revealing how billions in applications generate enormous profits, even when visas are denied.

This episode was produced by our guest host, David Enders, Sarรญ el-Khalili, and Catherine Nouhan. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Rick Rush mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Takeโ€™s executive producer.

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