Fraud of lakhs in student visa application to study in Italy, broker-VFS Global collusion revealed

Kathmandu. Nepali students who want to study in Italy have become victims of fraud in the name of facilitating the visa application process. The victimized students have made serious allegations that lakhs of rupees have been extorted in collusion between some employees of the VFS Global office in the shadow center of Kathmandu and brokers. Students who have enrolled in various universities and colleges in Italy and prepared all the documents have complained that they have not been able to get visa application dates for months. They said, "We have done all the preparations by enrolling in the college, but the visa application through VFS Global is not open. The online system seems to be closed, due to which the future is uncertain." According to the victim, the employees of VFS Global and external brokers charge between Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 to fix the visa dates through the online system. As a result, students with poor financial status are left behind and those who cannot pay the high fees are losing the opportunity to study. After the matter became public, the students filed a complaint with the Police Criminal Investigation Department, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They have demanded that legal action be taken against the culprits and a transparent system can be arranged so that students going to Italy can easily apply for visas. According to the students, "We want to study abroad, but the brokers and corrupt system in our own country are stopping us. It is a shame that an organization like VFS Global does such irregularities." No official response from VFS Global has been made public on this. But the students and parents have demanded the government to immediately form an inquiry committee and take action against the culprits. Key Points: Extortion of up to 50-70 thousand rupees from students going to Italy in the name of arranging visa application. Allegations of collusion between VFS Global and brokers. Students are under stress for months without getting the visa application date. Complaints are registered with the police, authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Students demand: transparent and easy visa application process.