VietNamNet Bridge – A new UK visa application centre opened on Thursday, Feb 21, in HCM City in response to continued growth in tourism and business visitor demand.

Opening Ceremony of the new Visa application centre in HCM City, 21 February, 2013. -- Photo: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk

The centre is operated by VFS Global, the UK Border Agency’s commercial partner in Southeast Asia, and offers unrestricted service, accepting visa applications from all categories of applicants.

Additional optional services such as an SMS visa application tracking facility and an internet kiosk for completing or amending online application forms, are also available to customers.

A priority visa service, providing faster processing of applications, will also launch later this year.

A growing number of Vietnamese are choosing to visit, study and do business in the UK.

In the 12 months to September 2012, the UK Border Agency processed over 14,300 visa applications from Vietnamese nationals, 16 per cent more than the previous year.

Operating on a user-pay basis, the new centre replaces the restricted application service at the British Consulate in HCM City, which closed because of size and resource limitations.

Applicants who do not wish to pay VND1.68 million ($80.7) to use the new application centre still have the option of filing their application in Ha Noi at no additional cost.

Visa applications in HCM City will be processed in exactly the same time as it would take were an application to be done in Ha Noi. The UK Border Agency aims to process 90 per cent of non-settlement applications in 15 working days and 95 per cent of settlement applications within 12 weeks.

Source: VNS