About us

The UK visa operation has offices in 146 locations throughout the world. The largest handled over 170,000 applications in 2006/7; the smallest less than 10. We issued visas to 81% of those who applied. We processed 66% of visa applications within 24 hours. This is a record of which we are proud, but we aim to do even better.

We have already introduced new initiatives such as working with commercial partners to enable us to handle sharply increasing demand while also improving customer service. UKvisas online application system, Visa4UK, has improved convenience and reduced processing times for customers and is now available in many overseas posts. We continually review the whole customer visa experience as we introduce new measures to ensure that we achieve our goals of supporting community cohesion and improving the UK's competitiveness as a destination.

During 2007 we implemented biometrics in our overseas posts, enabling them to take the fingerscans and digital photograph of every visa applicant. This enables us to fix their identity when they apply for a visa and improve our service to low-risk customers who will experience a faster, more effective service and are better protected against identity theft. In addition, we have continued the expansion of our overseas risk assessment network, which identifies emerging trends or visa abuse through the development of analytical and profiling tools. Biometrics and risk assessment are key parts of our programme to strengthen the UK's border.