OFFERING an enhanced visa-application submission experience for United Kingdom visa customers in Manila, Deputy Ambassador Alistair White led the inauguration of the upgraded UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Manila on March 8, with Assurance and Integrity Manager for Asia Pacific Julian Salisbury of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and Head for Australasia Kaushik Ghosh of VFS Global.
The new UK VAC in Manila at the sixth floor of the Makati Circuit Corporate Tower Two will provide a more comfortable and relaxed visa application-submission experience. The spacious facility, equipped with modern amenities and services, has the capacity to process a higher volume of visa applications per day, while enhancing the customer experience by making their processing journey smoother and more seamless.
White said that the new and improved VAC located at the city center is easily accessible by public transportation, “providing our customers with added convenience to ensure they have a smooth start to their journey to the UK…”
“In 2023, UKVI issued around 77,500 visas to [Filipinos—a 24-percent increase from the numbers we saw issued in 2022,” the deputy ambassador shared. “As always, we’re excited to welcome more travelers this year, as the UK stands as a key travel destination for many in the Philippines.”
Spread across 3,300 square feet, the center has 10 submission counters, with a capacity to process more than 300 applications daily. It also has a newly designed, state-of-the-art Premium Lounge as one of the optional services for visa customers.
For his part, Ghosh remarked: “VFS Global has shared a long-standing relationship of trust with the [British government since 2003…the new VAC reflects the strong partnership we share and] will play a crucial role in effectively catering to the growing demand for travel to the UK. We are confident that this…will enhance customer experience by making the visa-application process even more smooth and seamless], thereby helping us better serve travelers to the UK better.”
As mentioned, the Premium Lounge enables end-to-end personalized assistance throughout the application process. “Prime Time Appointments” service allows submission of visa applications beyond regular working hours, and “Keep My Passport” that permits applicants to retain their passports while their applications are being assessed, and only submit them once a visa decision has been reached.
Similarly, the “Courier Return” service facilitates delivery of the processed documents to the registered address, while SMS notifications can help in giving updates at each step of the application journey.
In addition, UK visa customers can apply for their visa from any preferred location—at home or in office—by opting for the “On Demand Mobile Visa” service.
VFS Global operates UK VACs in Cebu and Manila, with the latter catering to UK visa applicants—including for study, travel, business, and others.
A trusted partner for the UK government since 2003, VFS Global won the global contract for overseas UK visa and citizenship services in 2023. This year, it will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa and Middle East, Americas, Australasia and Europe, China and Taiwan, as well as Asia and Asia-Pacific regions. The centers will accept all categories of visa applications, plus those for UK passports in some locations.
In all, these new centers are seen to process 3.8 million applications yearly.