I would like to introduce myself as the new Head of Visa Services for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) at the British Embassy in Hanoi. Whilst I have been working at the Embassy since April 2009, I started my new position for the UKBA in September. I am delighted that the Ambassador has invited back as a guest blogger to write to you about the visa service we provide within the embassy.

It has been a busy year for the visa section here.  During the last 7 months we have implemented several significant changes to our global network development programme. These changes have included: a move to a hub and spoke visa processing operation with Bangkok; a change to immigration policy for students; and also a number of new staff appointments within the Hanoi and Bangkok visa teams, including me. Implementing these changes has been a real challenge and a lot of people have spared a lot of time and effort to ensure that we provide a consistently high level of service. I wanted to write this blog to explain some of the network development programme changes further, the reasoning behind them, and to highlight some of the things we have done to try to improve our service.  

Firstly, I would like to explain the hub and spoke. Most people will be aware that whilst you can lodge your visa application and have your biometrics taken at the British Embassy in Hanoi (the spoke), the actual decision making process is done by a team of UK Border Agency Entry Clearance Officers at the British Embassy in Bangkok (the hub). I am frequently asked why visa applications received in Vietnam are processed in Bangkok? Well, the main objective of the hub and spoke network is to build a robust and coherent overseas network that is responsive to demand and ensures high standards of service and control.

But what does this actually mean? In more detail, the hub and spoke means: Greater efficiency and effectiveness through a reduction in operating costs. This allows for reinvestment in more effective and comprehensive services overseas and the development and specialisation of staff. It provides more manageable and streamlined regional operations, and greater consistency in a more coherent overseas network.

For our customers this translates to a more flexible and responsive organisation with greater capacity to respond to varying demands and process applications quickly. It also means greater consistency and improved quality of visa application decisions through specialisation and development of our hub staff and a better knowledge base.  

As customers are still allowed to lodge their applications and provide biometrics in their home country (spoke) it also retains a local interface and remains a very convenient set-up for our customers.

The second issue I would like to highlight is visas for students. The immigration rules governing student visa applications have changed quite a bit and it’s important that students understand how these changes affect them. The Points Based System, which was rolled-out last year, is a new tiered system used for processing different categories of applications for those that either wish to work or study within the UK. Students who wish to study in the UK for longer than 6 months will now apply under Tier 4 of the PBS. The policy is detailed and I don’t think a blog would be the best place to explain the new policy in depth. But I recommend that anyone who wants to know more about the PBS visit the UK Border Agency website that will explain it further.

What I think would be more useful for this blog is to highlight some of the changes we have made to improve our visa service in response to customer feedback. We hope these changes benefit all applicants, not just students. Whilst the improvements are on-going, the changes we have implemented include:

- An increase in the number of available morning appointment slots from 24 to 45 per day. During the busy student period, we introduced an afternoon service operating from 13:30 to 15:30 providing a further 15 slots. This gives us the capacity to receive 60 applications per day during peak periods. I have looked at our web site, and I note that there are slots now available for all this week. We will do everything we can to meet demand during the busy period.

- Further to this, since the beginning of September, we have been accepting student applications without the need to have a formal on-line appointment. Whilst an on-line appointment is needed to print the application form, we have been accepting the applications ahead of the appointment date to help meet travel and course start dates. We fast track all student applications and have significantly reduced the processing time for straightforward applications that are correctly documented.

- I understand that there have been problems with telephoning the Embassy for inquiries. This is partly because we receive a high volume of calls per day. The vast majority of calls we take are for basic queries, which can be answered through the UKBA website. I encourage the use of the web site wherever possible as it will save a telephone call, but I appreciate that there may be the occasional specific request. In these instances, applicants are welcome to email me at any time and I will do my best to assist.

But coupled with these measures, it is important that visa applicants also fully understand the application process so that they prepare their application in good time. This will avoid a last minute panic and could avoid the possibility of missing travel dates. On average, it normally takes between 5 and 10 working days to process a non-settlement application. When applying applicants should ensure they submit all the required supporting paperwork and that they answer all the questions on the application form as fully as possible. Failure to supply the required supporting information, or to withhold information, could mean unnecessary delays in processing or even that the application gets rejected.

Like I said at the beginning of this blog, it’s been a year of changes and challenges for us as the new hub and spoke arrangements and the new Points Based System bed down. We have made a number of adjustments in response to our customer feedback and to provide a more efficient service.

Whilst I won’t be able to comment on any specific cases, I would like to invite constructive feedback on this blog. Please do take the time to offer your comments or suggestions. Your feedback really does matter to us and will help us identify where improvements can be made to our service.

And, both my team and I are here and ready to assist you should you need our help.

Many thanks!

Sebastian Kay, Head of Visa Section, British Embassy Hanoi 

Notes for Editors

See also Ambassador's Vietnamese language blog

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