Pakistani rock star UK visa delay
July 30 2009 by Rebekah Nahai
Meekal Hasan waiting for UK visa
A popular rock star from Pakistan had his business trip “ruined” by UK visa processing delays.
Meekal Hasan cancelled his plane ticket following a weeks-long ordeal to obtain a UK visa. He may be forced to reschedule his trip.
Hasan’s experience corresponds with the rise in UK visa processing times for Pakistani applicants. He says he was not informed that a process which normally takes 15 days would take over a month.
In an interview with the BBC, Hasan said:
"Once you submit your papers and passport, along with the visa fee - which is by the way non-refundable and ridiculously priced - there's normally a 15-working day period after which you are called back to pick up your passport and your visa which you may or may not get.”
"I submitted mine on 29 June, exactly a month ago and there's still no news. A couple of friends have been waiting for three months now - one of them is a student on a scholarship to an art school in London."
Although Hasan’s trip to the UK was primarily “to catch up with friends”, he had plans to meet with the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. He had also planned to travel to Europe to visit with other musicians.
But the delayed approval means “all that has been thrown into doubt”.
UK visa approval for Middle Eastern countries may be taking longer because the processing office has just been moved to the United Arab Emirates. The UK Border Service website says it is “working hard to reduce” the backlog of visa applications.
A UK Border Agency spokesperson told the BBC: "The onus is on applicants to supply the necessary evidence in support of their applications. When applying for a visa it is crucial that people give enough time, prior to travelling, to have their visa processed."
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