Description
Once we disaggregate bordering and mobility control infrastructure of today, we find that it is comprised of both state and private actors. There has been a recent increase in the entry and role of private actors in bordering and mobility control – they perform various functions like running detention centres, processing visa applications, etc. This is peculiar since the motives of the states on the one hand are purportedly state security while the motives of the private actors are increasing profits. In this paper, I focus on the understudied aspect of privatized visa application processing. These companies are new – the first of its kind VFS Global was founded as recently as 2001. I analyze the logics that states and these private actors give for justifying this type of outsourcing. I follow this by how this type of outsourcing affects the individual who wants to exercise their international mobility.
