British High Commission reviews visa processing times

Accra, July 23, GNA - The British High Commission announced on Wednesday that from August 1, 2008 the standard processing time for visa applications would be 48 hours for premium service and 12 working days for standard applications.

A statement issued by the High Commission in Accra said applications which were dealt with under the Premium Service facility would be resolved within 48 hours of receipt of the application from the Visa Application Centre.

It said applicants would need to meet the eligibility criteria and original documents should be included with all applications along with good quality photocopies of the original documents. It said premium service extended to applications for visit visas only.

It asked applicants to visit its new website www.ukvisas.gov.uk for more information.

The statement said the premium facility previously offered resolution within 24 hours but due to the volume of applications, and the importance of maintaining a high quality of service, an extension to 48 hours was now necessary. It said an applicant who had travelled previously to the United Kingdom and had evidence of this travel and had not been refused a visa since the travel qualified for premium service. "Evidence can be a 1 or 2, 5 or 10 year visit visa, or two or more six month visit visas." It said an applicant who had travelled and complied with the terms of their visa on two separate occasions within the last five years, in the same category as they are now applying, to any of the following: USA, Canada, Australia, a Schengen country or Switzerland and had evidence of this travel and had not been refused a visa since their travel also qualified. Others are applicants aged 60 years or over who is visiting mother, father, sister, brother, son/daughter or grandson/daughter in the UK, a diplomat in the Ghanaian Foreign Service or in a diplomatic mission in Ghana, in which case an official note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or appropriate mission is required. The rest are applicants travelling on official Government of Ghana business (spouse and children may also apply), for which a letter from the MFA or relevant Government department is required, dependent children, under 18 years of age, who are travelling with a parent who meets the fast track criteria (or who already holds a long term multiple entry visa for the United Kingdom), spouses who are travelling with their partner when the partner meets the Premium Service criteria, and employees of organisations enrolled in the Business Express Scheme. The statement said unaccompanied children were not eligible for Premium Service.