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It's 04 February 2012

UK Border Agency's visa services website

Latest update 13 January 2009

If you are handling immigration casework you need to be familiar with the UK Border Agency’s visa services website, which contains information about how non-UK nationals can come to visit or live in the UK.

In recent years the UKBA has adopted a ‘hub and spoke’ model for handling visa applications. This means that the Entry Clearance Officer who makes a decision on an application may be based in a different country to where the application was submitted. Visa applications can be made at the visa section in a local British Embassy/High Commission or, in some countries, at a ‘visa application centre’ (operated by a commercial company such as VFS Global or WorldBridge). The website of the British Embassy/High Commission in the visa applicant’s country of origin often has more specific information about the local arrangements. The website www.ukvisas.gov.uk contains a wealth of useful information about who requires a visa (also known as ‘entry clearance’) to come to the UK, the different categories of visa available, how to apply and other relevant information.

Some useful pages for common casework enquiries are:

The information guides for visa applicants – these contain general information about the requirements of each type of visa, such as how to come to the UK as a visitor, student, worker or partner of a person already here. They are written in a Q and A style and can answer many common casework queries (in the ‘How to apply’ section: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/).
The Entry Clearance Guidance – this is more detailed guidance about decision-making which is used by the UKBA staff who handle visa applications. It can often assist with answering some more complex visa casework queries (in the ‘Policy and Law’ section: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/ecg/).
The list of visa fees: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/visafees/.
The list of visa application centres (in the ‘How to apply’ section: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/wheretoapply/).
The guide to average visa processing times (in the ‘How to Apply’ section: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/processingtimes).
Visa application statistics (in the ‘About Us’ section: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/aboutus/statistics/)

Visa News - the newsletter for MPs and their staff

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For further information and advice see our Guide: Immigration Casework.

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