More than 500,000 applications received through channel over two-year implementation
The Home Office has completed the implementation of its Access UK service for making digital visa applications.
It said the service is now available to visitors in more than 180 countries in 10 languages, and that since it was launched for customers in China in 2014, it has been used for over 500,000 applications.
There are also plans to make it available for 13 locations that make low number of applications over the coming weeks. The Home Office said that places such as the Falkland Islands have unique processes that are not yet integrated into Access UK.
It claimed that Access UK makes visa applications quicker, due to an intuitive online form, checklists and steps that list the documents required for an application.
The service takes in work, study and visitor visas, and those to join a family member or partner, and includes a booking system for application centres and a payment mechanism.
Simon Peachey, UK Visas and Immigration’s director of international visa operations, said: “I’m delighted to report that this global roll out has been achieved on time and without compromising on the quality of the service.”
It will replace the Visa4UK website run by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
Image by Kskhh, own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
