UK visa procedures streamlined with online application

"From this day, visa seekers must make their applications online, a procedure that will speed up the process," said Roderick Drummond, charge d'affaires at the UK Embassy in Riyadh. "But they will still have to visit the visa application center for fulfilling the biometric procedure and other requirements, including photographs," he told Arab News in an interview at the British Consulate General.

While Saudi nationals can get their visas within 48 hours, it will take five to 10 days for students," he said, adding that the visa issuance has been centralized in Riyadh, with the application centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam as facilitators.

"There is a high demand for UK visas and the online service will help speed up the process," he said, adding that the applicant will spend not more than 15 minutes at the center.

According to Drummond, a record number of 100,000 visas were issued in the Kingdom last year, 20 percent more than the previous year. About 20,000 of them were student visas. "We have already issued 65,000 visas this year and hope to match last year's figures by the year-end," said Drummond. He mentioned Saudi Arabia as the UK's busiest visa post in the Gulf.

The Kingdom remains on top of other Gulf states in terms of the number of British visas issued. In the rest of the Gulf, 200,000 visas are issued annually. Many of them are long-term multiple visas ranging from five to 10 years as they either own property or do business in the UK. "We encourage Saudis to apply for long term-visas because they either own property or are involved in business, and have to visit the UK often. We can always improve visa services in both directions", Kazinform refers to the Arab Bews.

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