Delayed passport dispatch forces Nitesh Kumar to miss British Para Badminton International

Para-badminton player Nitesh Kumar has called out visa handling authorities after a critical delay by VFS Global caused him to miss an important international tournament in Cardiff, despite his visa being cleared well in advance.

Kumar, who was set to represent India at the British &Irish Para-Badminton tournament, had applied for his UK visa along with his coach, Rajendra K Jakkampudi, through VFS Global Hyderabad. While the rest of the Indian contingent received their visas on time, Kumar and his coach were left in limbo until days before departure.

“Only me and my coach… are left without a visa,” Nitesh posted on July 19, tagging the Ministry of External Affairs, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and the British High Commission in India, requesting urgent help. He added that their visa applications had already been submitted and urged VFS Global to track their passports in time.

In a follow-up post on July 25, Kumar revealed that his visa had actually been cleared by UKVI on July 16, but his passport was only dispatched on July 25, long after the team’s scheduled departure. “Thanks to VFSGlobal for the delay and for making me miss my important tournament,” he wrote, sharing a photo of the visa stamped in his passport.

The delay has sparked frustration not just due to the missed opportunity but also the lack of responsiveness from VFS Global. “Failed to give any positive response to our continuous requests,” Kumar noted.

As India’s para-athletes continue to make their mark on the international stage, such administrative lapses could derail months of preparation and valuable competitive exposure.

Officials from SAI and MEA have yet to release an official statement on the matter.

VFS Global, on their part, told The Bridge: “All aspects related to the visa application processing timeline, appointment availability, required documentation, as well as the approval, refusal, or duration of a visa are solely determined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). VFS Global plays no role in the decision-making process. Our role is purely administrative and to assist customers with submitting their documentation and biometrics so that UKVI can make a decision. Once an application has been submitted, our teams have no further interaction or communication with UKVI until a decision has been made and the passport needs to be returned.

As a responsible service provider, we adhere strictly to the directives of our client governments and operate in accordance with their stipulated guidelines. VFS Global plays no role in visa policies and processes, which are the responsibility of our client governments.

The applicant may wish to contact UKVI directly to establish if there were any issues that impacted the decision-making side of the visa application process. Information on how to do this is available on Gov.UK through the following link: Contact UK Visas and Immigration for help - GOV.UK."