Scott Morrison and BLS
An Indian company at the centre of a global visa-services empire is facing fresh scrutiny in Spain and continuing legal battles over government contracts – just months after former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison joined it as a global strategic adviser.
The company is BLS International, an India-based provider of visa, passport, biometric and consular services for governments around the world.
BLS has built a substantial business from a simple proposition: governments outsource the administrative side of visa and consular services, while the government itself retains the final decision on whether a visa is granted.
But in recent months, that business model has become the subject of legal and regulatory scrutiny.
The most recent development is in Spain, where the National Court is investigating an alleged visa-fraud network linked to the Spanish Consulate in Algiers, Algeria.
Spanish investigators allege that families were charged up to €25,000 to obtain Schengen visas, residence permits and work permits. The investigation has already led to the arrest of consular official Vicente Moreno and local employee Mohamed Boutouchent.
Investigators are examining whether external service providers involved in the processing of applications played any role in the alleged scheme.
BLS has been drawn into the investigation because it provides visa appointment and application-processing services for Spain.
The company has strongly denied any wrongdoing, stressing that its role is administrative and that visa decisions are made solely by Spanish diplomatic and consular authorities.
There has been no finding that BLS or its employees were responsible for the alleged fraud.
The Spanish investigation comes against the backdrop of another controversy involving Spain’s diplomatic representation in India.
Spain has moved to replace its ambassador to India, Juan Antonio March Pujol, following allegations concerning embassy finances and dealings with Indian businesses. Reports have included allegations involving a €5,000 contribution by BLS towards a cultural event in Rajasthan.
Again, the allegations remain allegations and do not establish wrongdoing by BLS.
But Spain is not the only country where BLS has recently been caught up in disputes surrounding government visa and consular contracts.
Scott Morrison and BLS
The Indian tender battles
BLS has been involved in a series of legal battles with India’s Ministry of External Affairs over the outsourcing of consular, passport and visa services at Indian diplomatic missions overseas.
In 2025, the ministry imposed a two-year debarment on BLS from participating in its future tenders and contracts.
BLS challenged the decision in the Delhi High Court.
The court subsequently set aside the debarment, restoring the company’s ability to participate in future tenders. The court also rejected the ministry’s contention that BLS had used litigation to deliberately delay or disrupt the tender process.
The legal battle was linked to a wider tender process in which Indian missions around the world sought new providers for outsourced consular services.
BLS told the court that 26 tenders had been floated and that it had won only one. It challenged five of the remaining tender outcomes, arguing that the successful bids were financially and technically unviable.
The dispute subsequently spilled into 2026 and had consequences for Indian consular services in several countries, including Australia.
In July, the Delhi High Court intervened in the wider tender dispute involving Indian missions in Canberra, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Singapore, ordering the procurement process to be redone.
In Australia, VFS Global had been selected to provide Indian consular services, replacing the previous arrangement. But the legal dispute in India contributed to the new Australian arrangements being delayed, with VFS services suspended from July 1.
The Australian episode is particularly significant for the Indian diaspora, which relies on outsourced centres for services including passports, visas, OCI cards and police clearance certificates.
BLS was not the target of the Australian service suspension. Rather, it was one of the companies involved in the wider competitive tendering process.
And then there is Scott Morrison.
Scott Morrison and BLS
Enter the former prime minister
On 18 June 2026, BLS announced that Morrison had been appointed its Global Strategic Adviser.
The appointment came before the latest Spanish developments, making the chronology important.
Morrison did not join BLS after the Spanish investigation became public. He joined in June, while the company was already operating in a highly competitive and legally contested global visa-services industry.
BLS said Morrison would provide strategic guidance on government engagement, digital transformation and global growth.
The company highlighted his experience in economics, trade, infrastructure, financial regulation and international relations, as well as his role in strengthening Australia-India relations.
Morrison said he looked forward to helping governments improve public services through innovation, security, efficiency and user-focused service delivery.
For BLS, the appointment is easy to understand.
Its business depends heavily on relationships with governments and diplomatic missions. A former prime minister with experience dealing with governments around the world is a valuable addition to an international advisory team.
BLS operates on a large scale, describing itself as a technology-enabled government and citizen-services company working with more than 46 governments across more than 100 countries.
For Morrison, the appointment adds another significant international corporate role since he left Parliament in 2024.
But the timing has inevitably made the appointment more interesting.
Only months after Morrison joined, BLS is facing renewed attention over an investigation in Spain, while its history of legal battles surrounding government tendering in India has also come under the spotlight.
There is no suggestion that Morrison is involved in any of these matters.
Nor do the Spanish investigation or the Indian legal disputes establish wrongdoing by BLS.
But BLS is no longer simply an Indian outsourcing company little known to the Australian public.
It is a global player in the business of visas, passports and government services — a business that puts private companies at the operational front door of governments around the world.
And now one of Australia’s best-known former prime ministers is helping shape its global strategy.
Read Also: Inside the Supreme Court battle over India’s global visa contracts
