[ad_1]
Dubai: The waiting period extended to more than two months is still unpleasant for UAE residents looking to get a UK visa. Ironically, over the next few weeks, UAE-UK air travel volumes are showing more signs of returning to normal after a busy summer, with outbound passengers at London Heathrow being limited on a daily basis.
While the appointment only takes about 10 days, the actual visa takes more than 60 days, according to tourism sources. “UK visas are in high demand right now, but long wait times are really discouraging people from continuing to apply,” a Zabeel Travel spokesman said. “Before, it used to take only 5-10 days to get a visa, and the process was very simple.”
The difficulty of getting a UK visa is Getting a Schengen visa made relatively easy UAE residents after a long waiting period of several weeks. Compared to waiting 3-4 months for visa interview, it is now shortened to 1 month or less.
But for the UK, visitor visas, including standard visitor visa applications, take an average of seven weeks to process. However, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and VFS Global said in a statement that some applications may take longer.
“UKVI is working hard to process applications to restore the three-week service standard,” the statement said. “We are experiencing very high global demand, which means that in some cases it may take longer to process visas.”
For those willing to pay the Dh1,500 premium, the UK has introduced a ‘Priority Visa Service’, which significantly reduces the processing time by 5-6 days. This applies to new clients and students applying for the sponsored work route.
Industry sources say the main reason for the backlog is the influx of Ukrainian refugees wishing to enter the UK, and disruptions to flights will only exacerbate these problems. Thousands of flights in the UK and Europe have been cancelled over the past few months due to staff shortages and union strikes. Still, the UAE-UK route remains one of the busiest in the world, with London the top destination for Dubai in the first half of the year, carrying 1.3 million passengers. (The Saudi capital Riyadh came in second with 910,000 passengers, followed by Mumbai with 726,000 passengers.)
There will soon be easier entry for nationals of the Emiratis and other GCC countries as they will Visa-free requirements to visit the UK From 2023. This will make them the first countries to benefit from the UK’s new visa scheme Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
The travel permit, which is expected to roll out online soon, will require passengers to fill out an online application and can be done any time in the days before departure.
numbers over the years
According to official figures, more than 1.6 million visas and permits were issued in the UK in the year to March 2022. While that’s only around half the 2019 figure, it’s still 145% above 2020 levels.
Of the visas issued in the 12 months to March this year, 38% were for visit, 29% for study, 17% for work, 3% for family reasons and 13% for other reasons.
In the year to March 2022, an estimated 42.9 million passengers arrived, more than double the number in the same period last year.
[ad_2]
Source link