The British Government has decided to cut visa processing time forbusiness, investor and work visa applicants in Hanoi, with a priorityvisa service which starts on October 1.
Thefast-track processing service aims to return visa decisions within threeto five working days compared to the standard 15-day service, said LordDavid Puttman, the UK Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos,and Cambodia at the launch ceremony on September 30.
He said the British Government is working to ensure it has the rightservices to encourage growth and support those who it wants to attractto the UK.
The new service and other recentenhancements to the UK visa operation in Vietnam, including the openingof a new visa application centre in Ho Chi Minh City this year, provide amore convenient and efficient service for customers and cater for thegrowing interest from Vietnamese in the UK as a destination forbusiness, investment, work and study.
For the 12months leading up to June 2013, the number of UK visa applications filedby Vietnamese amounted to some 13,700. Over the past two years, thedemand for UK visas in Vietnam increased by 15 percent.
In addition to the new service, a number of UK visa policy changeswill come into effect as of October 1 to give greater flexibility tobusiness visitors and tourists and to UK businesses that employinternational migrants.
The changes includeallowing tourists and business visitors to undertake some study where itis not the main purpose of their visit, expanding the activities abusiness visitor can undertake in the UK, removing the English languagerequirement for intra-company transferees, making it easier for graduateentrepreneurs to switch into the skilled worker category, and allowingsome students to stay in the UK after their studies to undertake acorporate internship.
" These changes will ensurethat the UK continues to attract the very best global talent to work forBritish businesses, " said Puttman.
During hisworking visit to Vietnam, he also visited a photography exhibitionthemed "Vietnam-UK relations: From the past to the future" that kickedoff on September 30 in Hanoi to commemorate the 40th anniversary of thetwo countries' bilateral diplomatic relations.
Co-organised by the British Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam NewsAgency, the exhibition, which will last until October 6, displays 100photographs showcasing the co-operation between Vietnam and the UK.-VNA
Thefast-track processing service aims to return visa decisions within threeto five working days compared to the standard 15-day service, said LordDavid Puttman, the UK Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos,and Cambodia at the launch ceremony on September 30.
He said the British Government is working to ensure it has the rightservices to encourage growth and support those who it wants to attractto the UK.
The new service and other recentenhancements to the UK visa operation in Vietnam, including the openingof a new visa application centre in Ho Chi Minh City this year, provide amore convenient and efficient service for customers and cater for thegrowing interest from Vietnamese in the UK as a destination forbusiness, investment, work and study.
For the 12months leading up to June 2013, the number of UK visa applications filedby Vietnamese amounted to some 13,700. Over the past two years, thedemand for UK visas in Vietnam increased by 15 percent.
In addition to the new service, a number of UK visa policy changeswill come into effect as of October 1 to give greater flexibility tobusiness visitors and tourists and to UK businesses that employinternational migrants.
The changes includeallowing tourists and business visitors to undertake some study where itis not the main purpose of their visit, expanding the activities abusiness visitor can undertake in the UK, removing the English languagerequirement for intra-company transferees, making it easier for graduateentrepreneurs to switch into the skilled worker category, and allowingsome students to stay in the UK after their studies to undertake acorporate internship.
" These changes will ensurethat the UK continues to attract the very best global talent to work forBritish businesses, " said Puttman.
During hisworking visit to Vietnam, he also visited a photography exhibitionthemed "Vietnam-UK relations: From the past to the future" that kickedoff on September 30 in Hanoi to commemorate the 40th anniversary of thetwo countries' bilateral diplomatic relations.
Co-organised by the British Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam NewsAgency, the exhibition, which will last until October 6, displays 100photographs showcasing the co-operation between Vietnam and the UK.-VNA
