South Africans experiencing UK visa problems
May 13 2009 by Robbie Ragless
South African nationals are struggling to obtain UK visas, according to a local news website.
A report on iol.co.za claims that recent UK visa restrictions, increased fees and technical problems in the Home Office processing centre have combined to make the UK visa application process very difficult for South Africans.
The UK visa biometric system broke down for two days at the start of April which resulted in hundreds being delayed by up to three weeks.
Ed Bossley, head of the UK visa application operations in southern Africa, said the problem affected almost 400 UK visa applications: "We were unable to process applications lodged during this time and our IT helpdesk in London asked us to 'hold' these applications until such time as the IT problem could be identified and fixed," he said.
New rules which came into force on 3rd March 2009 stipulate that South African nationals must obtain a UK visa to enter the country unless they have proof of previous entry, such as a stamp in their passport or evidence of having entered through the iris recognition immigration system (IRIS). There is a temporary exemption in place, but this will expire in mid-2009.
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