New premium visa services

The UK immigration authorities have announced that they will be targeting business travellers with new premium visa services. The new service will be an invitation only service providing "top business executives" with bespoke support from UK's immigration authorities. The service will start in the New Year as a 12 month pilot aimed at around 100 global business leaders who use the visa service and have strong links to the UK. They will be provided with an account manager to ensure their journey through the visa and immigration service is swift and smooth. The account manager will also be able to arrange visa services tailored to each individual’s needs at no extra cost during the pilot.

Over the next 12 months the following additional improvements will also be introduced:

• Expanding our priority (3 to 5 day) visa service from 67 countries to over 90 countries by spring 2014
• Expanding our same-day visa service, currently available in India and soon to be available in China, to several further key locations by the end of 2014
• Introducing a VIP mobile visa service to India and piloting a passport pass back service in southern India with a view to expanding countrywide if successful.