Sanyatti
Member
United Kingdom (U.K) High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott has finally addressed the challenges revolving around delays experienced in issuing Visas to Kenyans seeking to travel to the U.K.
Marriot says that the issue that has seen citizens waiting for months for their Visas is not only tied to Kenya but is also affecting other nations.
Taking to social media on Saturday, the British envoy urged Kenyans to be patient as the issue is addressed, further advising those seeking to travel to the U.K to plan six weeks prior.
“I want to offer my huge apologies to Kenyans for the delays on UK visas. I know it’s a major inconvenience. It’s a global challenge not Kenya’s specific - please plan six weeks ahead and bear with us for the next few months,” she said in a tweet.
Marriot went further to cite reasons for the delays, among them being the backlog of applications during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic period and the ongoing global crisis brought about by the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Furthermore, she cited the increase in demand for travelers to the U.K - among them students and business people – as another reason for the delays.
“There is a huge backlog as a result of Visa applications during COVID-19, that weren’t processed, the current global issues and crisis that are going off at the moment, but also an unprecedented demand of Visas and it’s great that many want to,” she said in a video message.
“In 2019, 300,000 students across the world wanted to come to the U.K. This year it has nearly doubled to 600,000.”
Regarding the time duration, Marriot says the delay is set to continue for a few months, noting that during the period, there will be no priority applications.
“If you are looking to go to the U.K whether to study, business or tourism, please you need to apply six weeks in advance. Due to the pressure on the service, we are not able to offer the usual priority Visa service,” she says...