The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) has introduced a ‘fast-track’ service mainly targeted at Kenyan business people who require a visa for travel.
The ‘fast-track’ service, will also be available for student and visit visas at a cost of Sh10,000.
Currently, UK visas cost Sh11,300 for six months, Sh39,200 for two years, Sh71,900 for five years, Sh103,800 for 10 years and Sh41,900 for students.
Priority applicants will have their requests processed at a shorter notice, but only a limited number of priority visas will be available each day, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Nick Baird, chief executive officer of United Kingdom Trade and Investment, said the move would help increase the efficiency of trade and investment between the UK and Kenya.
He said that Kenyan business people and other ‘fast-track’ customers now have a dedicated desk at the Visa Application Centre for faster handling of their applications.
“We know that time is money and so this increased efficiency will help us achieve our targets of doubling UK-Kenya trade from the current level of over £1.1bn (over Sh150 billion) over the next few years,” said Mr Baird.
According to the UKBA, a total of 38,379 visas of different categories were issued last year compared to 38,356 in 2011. The agency said the issue rate for Kenya is 84 per cent, against an overall global rate of 73 per cent.
