I agree that the visa application (as an indian student who's had to go through it multiple times for internships/education) is time consuming, expensive, and h

I agree that the visa application (as an indian student who's had to go through it multiple times for internships/education) is time consuming, expensive, and harrowing. I was stunned to find out that visa applications to the EU occur through a private entity, VFS global (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFS_Global https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFS_Global). > The outsourcing company has been accused of "extorting" and "mistreating" vulnerable visa applicants... Additionally, the company was also reported to be under investigation for "allegations of abusive market dominance and unlawful tender procedures, resulting in excessive visa application prices and hidden fees. Fun problems included getting bank account information, a whole host of personal information, and 'strong ties' to my home country. I'm a student, /of course/ I'm poor! I'm a student, /of course/ I'm unmarried! /of course/ I can't visit the application center thrice, I have classes and exams! I had to pay extra to get my visa application "fast-tracked" so it would arrive on time! To date, I can't shake the belief that I've experienced "kafkaesque" in flesh and blood. The silver lining was, as always, people. I had super super supportive advisors/HR folks at companies and universities I went to work at who helped me every step of the way. It was insane how much paperwork there was, and how they dealt with all of the paperwork deftly.