RIYADH: The British Embassy in Riyadh has advised Saudi nationals to leave at least seven to 10 days when applying for visas for the United Kingdom as the computer system in its consular division is facing technical problems.
“As a result of recent IT problems, applications are taking much longer to process than is normally the case. The embassy is advising Saudis applying in Riyadh to leave at least seven days to obtain a UK visa. Those applying in Jeddah or in Alkhobar should leave at least 10 days,” British Embassy spokesman Nick Heath said.
Apologizing for the inconvenience, Heath said: “Saudi nationals have come to expect a platinum service from the British Embassy in Riyadh. We hope to return to being able to process visas in 24 hours in Riyadh and 72 hours in Jeddah and Alkhobar. But for now it is important that Saudi nationals leave as much time as possible when applying for visas for the UK.” He assured that the mission is working hard to correct the technical issues that have caused the problem.
From October 2007, the British Embassy started issuing biometric visas through its Visa Application Centers (VACs) in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar.
During the launch of the VAC in Riyadh in October 2007, the mission said that it issued around 57,000 visas per year with an annual increase of 14 percent. Some 13,000 Saudi students are currently studying in the UK.
A diplomat from the mission stressed that the biometric system will prevent the abuse of passports, fraud and misuse of travel documents. “It will also provide the mission’s staff with better information to support the visa-decision process,” he added.
