Notably, despite the Iran war, foreign tourist arrivals in the Gulf rose 2% in the first quarter of 2026, reaffirming the enduring demand for international travel, Karkaria told ET in an interview to mark the company’s 25th anniversary.
Founded in 2001, VFS Global is one of India’s early global unicorns. “We are proud to contribute to the Government of India’s transformative Viksit Bharat vision by enabling global mobility, supporting skills and talent development, creating employment opportunities, and helping position India as an increasingly connected global economy,” said Karkaria.
He said only about 8% of Indians currently hold passports, meaning millions of first-time travellers will enter the visa system as the middle class expands.
On deploying AI, Karkaria said, “For us, AI presents significant opportunities to improve customer experience, operational efficiency, fraud prevention and security.”
“We have our AI & Innovation Hub in the UAE…Today we have a global team of 22 data scientists that design, deploy, and maintain the highly secure technological infrastructure to make cross-border journeys simpler, safer and more efficient,” he said.
On the company’s plans for the next 25 years, he said, “When I look at the business, I see three clear growth runways. First, visas remain a strong long-term engine.”
“Second, wider citizen services, with a market potential of $4 billion, are a major opportunity,” he said, adding “governments are asking us to help modernise everyday public services to make them faster, more predictable and more trustworthy. Through our majority stake in CiX Citizen Experience, we operate 250+ centres in Brazil, serving over 170 million people and processing around 18 million applications a year.”
The company is also expanding into adjacent mobility and identity services. “This includes medical testing for governments such as the UAE and Oman across 7 countries, processing over half a million applications annually; and passport and consular services for 18 governments in 106 countries, covering IDs, renewals and civil documents.”
Another major focus area is VFS Global Academy, through which the firm is building the next generation of global talent. “Since inception in 2022 we have trained more than 2,800 students, with 100% internships and a 95% placement rate – many of them the first in their families to access international career opportunities.”
On media reports that VFS Global is under scrutiny or ‘scanner’ by EU authorities, Karkaria claimed that the characterisation is not accurate. “What is true is that this is a highly regulated sector, and our operations, like those of any service provider working with sovereign governments, are subject to continuous oversight, audits and reviews by our client governments,” he said. “VFS Global works with nearly all Schengen governments, as well as other highly regulated jurisdictions, and that naturally involves regular assessments and compliance checks. This is a normal part of operating in a sensitive, public-facing space.”