From the usual five days, UK visa processing is taking 15 days due to a technical snag at the High Commission
From the usual five days, UK visa processing is taking 15 days due to a technical snag at the High Commission
The Twenty20 World Cup is only a week away, but the wait to catch all the action 'live' in England may get longer. A technical glitch in processing the biometric data of travellers is causing a delay inu00a0 visa clearance.
With the mega-event starting June 5, the British High Commission is flooded with applications and is unable to clear the backlog.u00a0u00a0u00a0
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NO Cheer: With no visas in hand, Indian fans may not be able to
make it to England to cheer Dhoni and Co at the T20 World Cup, starting next Friday. Representation pic |
From the usual five days that it takes to get a visa, travellers now have to wait for almost a fortnight. It's a must for those applying for a UK visa to submit their biometric data.
Mehboob Mohammed Shaikh ofu00a0 a south-Mumbai-based travel agency, said, "We have expressed our concern to the UK consulate, but were told that due to the World Cup there is a rush of visa applications, hence the backlog."
Added Iqbal Mulla, treasurer, Travel Agents Association of India, "We are flooded with inquiries for the T20 package, but are making it clear that visas are taking time."
Tech thatu00a0
However, Sam Murray, regional communications manager, British High Commission, denied that there were delays as a result of the World T20. "We are advising customers to allow 10-15 days for their visas. Technical problems have impacted the time taken to process visas," he said.
Pradip Lulla, acting president, Travel Agents Federation Of India, confirmed that visas were getting delayed due to a technical snag. "For the last two months we are facing the problem of delays in UK visas," he said.
Facing the brunt Avid cricket fan, Santosh Kumar, applied for a UK visa a month back. "I was looking forward to see the World Cup, but since I didn't get the visa I cancelled the trip," he said.
The biometric process
From December 12, 2007, it was made mandatory for all UK visa applicants in India to provide biometric data, comprising an applicant's digital photograph and finger scans.
The process ensures protection from identity fraud and strengthens control of UK's borders
The information is first sent from the visa application centre to the British consulate, based in every city. Under the Indian legislation, the consulate first sends the information to the British High Commission in India and from there it is sent to the UK. This process takes around four days. Earlier, visas were issued in 24 hours.
