Fast-track visa service for Emiratis to UK introduced

Emiratis will be able to make use of the new 24-hour service from April - but at a cost.

ABU DHABI // A new fast-track 24-hour visa service will be made available for travel from the UAE to the UK in April, the country’s prime minister announced on Thursday.

David Cameron said the service, which is also being introduced in New York and Paris, will help boost investment and tourism in the UK.

“We are determined to do everything we can to back business, support investment and create jobs,” Mr Cameron said in a statement.

“This new 24-hour service is another way we can help. It will persuade more business travellers, investors and tourists to visit Britain, to trade with Britain and to expand in Britain.”

The service, which already includes China and India and will expand to Thailand, Turkey, South Africa and the Philippines, will cost travellers almost Dh3,500 (£600) and they will receive an answer on their visa application in 24 hours.

The UK’s ambassador to the UAE, Philip Parham, said: “This is another example of the innovative ways in which the UK visa service addresses the needs of its customers. Already this year, we have introduced the Electronic Visa Waiver for Emiratis and over 40,000 Electronic Visa Waivers have been completed by Emirati nationals since the start of the year. These improvements will help to ensure that the UK remains a top business and leisure destination.”

Emiratis living in the UAE welcomed the new fast-track visa service but some said the fee was a bit high for a potential rejection in only 24 hours.

“The idea in itself is a good one,” said Mona Al Ali, an Emirati from Abu Dhabi. “To get your visa in only 24 hours is great but paying that fee really depends on the situation you’re in.”

She said she would consider it only if she was in a hurry to travel. “But if I have plenty of time, I would just wait and get the visa regularly to save the money. It’s expensive overall but still a good idea and I would use it if I decide to go to the UK in a hurry.”

Saeed Al Nofeli, an Emirati student in Abu Dhabi, said the scheme would probably work better for business trips.

“It’s very expensive because that’s like the price of an economy-class ticket,” he said. “It might be expensive for an average person who is working, in my opinion, and I think most people would rather wait longer than pay this fee.”

Mr Al Nofeli, who travels to the UK regularly, said London was considered a “favourite” destination by Emiratis. “Thailand is another favourite for us,” he said. “When I travel, I usually look for places that don’t require a visa. But if I got a business trip that required me to leave the next day, it would make sense as the company would pay for it.”

He said the perception that all Emiratis were wealthy was wrong.

“Some people think that none of us would have a problem paying that but I tend to disagree.

“But when it comes to an emergency, I guess there is no price and people will pay for it.”

Mr Cameron’s office said the move removed “lengthy bureaucratic hurdles which many businesses fear put off possible business travellers, investors and rich tourists and pushes them towards countries with a simpler service.”

It said the expansion would be rolled out by April 2015 to more countries, which were chosen due to high demand from businesses and high-value travellers.