CBC Toronto spoke with numerous people who described being pressured to pay extra charges at BLS International, many of whom felt their ability to visit India or legally stay in Canada depended on it.
Every time Prashant Vashista thinks of BLS International — the sole company sanctioned by the Indian consulate to handle services like visas and passport renewals in Canada — his mind goes back two years to his mother's death.
Grief-stricken, he drove an hour to BLS's Brampton location to arrange for emergency visas so he could see his family in India.
Even though he picked up the visas himself, Vashista said employees demanded he pay a $45 courier fee for himself, his daughter and his wife, totalling $135.
"I was in dire need. So I had to pay," he told CBC Toronto.
It wasn't the first or last time BLS allegedly pushed him to pay for services he didn't need — and his experience isn't unique.
CBC spoke with numerous people who described being pressured to pay extra charges at BLS, many of whom felt their ability to visit India or legally stay in Canada depended on it.
Former employees at one BLS branch say they're not surprised, saying staff were encouraged to charge clients as much as possible and find minor errors in
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