Platinum lounge option for British visa applicants

Visa and immigration director says system is 'robust' enough as new visa services for visitors to Britain are launched.

The British embassy has launched a platinum lounge for visa applicants. Reem Mohammed / The National

DUBAI // The British embassy has launched what it says is a first of its kind in the world – a platinum lounge for visa applicants.

Matt Heath, the regional director for UK visas and immigration for the Middle East and Pakistan, said the platinum lounge, at the UK Visa Centre in Wafi Centre, aimed to provide a luxury experience for customers while their application was being processed.

Paul Fox, British consul general at the embassy, said the lounge and another service being launched were inspired by feedback from customers.

“I am delighted to introduce two new world-leading services today, that will offer the next level of luxury for our highly valued customers in the UAE,” he said.

The platinum lounge service costs Dh2,213 and the price includes fast processing of visa applications of three to four days, with home delivery and chauffeur pick-up and drop-off anywhere in Dubai. And for those unable to come in person, an “on-demand mobile biometric service” allows applicants to fill in their forms and biometric enrolment from their homes or offices.

“This service is for individuals and groups ... a small team will travel to the customer anywhere in the UAE to complete the fingerprint scans and photographs and a courier will then deliver the passports upon completion,” Mr Heath said.

The cost of this service is Dh4,500 per person with discounts for group bookings.

A “super priority” service provides 24-hour visa completion and costs just under Dh5,000. It was used by 2,400 UAE residents of various nationalities since it was launched a year ago.

According to statistics from the embassy, 99 per cent of Emiratis who applied for UK visas were granted them last year. That is 9,300 visas approved for UAE nationals. For other GCC nationals, the acceptance rate is also high, at 97 to 99 per cent.

But the electronic visa waiver is increasingly popular, with 54,600 Emiratis using the service, which allows them to visit the UK for less than six months without a visa.

“Since introducing this service in 2014 we have seen an increasing number of Emiratis use the electronic waiver compared with the normal visas,” Mr Heath said.

A standard visa takes 10 to 15 days and costs Dh442.