More than 1,300 delayed UK visas reach Hong Kong students as backlog all but cleared
British officials say applicants notified that their passport has been dispatched within 48 hours of decision
More than 1,300 delayed UK visas reached Hong Kong students over the last three days as British authorities said they had all but cleared a backlog in applications.
City officials had stepped in to manage a crisis that threatened to cause hundreds of students to lose their place at universities as a result of the processing fiasco that stretched a process normally taking a week into several weeks.
British Consulate apologises for visa delays affecting Hong Kong students
A 24-hour call centre and email address for concerned parents and students were set up as Hongkong Post drafted special measures to expedite the visas that were sent to and from the Philippines, where the glitch originated.
Hongkong Post said that, from Wednesday to midday Friday, 930 recipients had collected their travel documents from the post office while around 400 visas had been posted to applicants’ homes. Another 370 visa packages arrived on Friday ready for pickup.
The government’s Efficiency Unit said it had received 1,538 calls and 653 emails from concerned students between Tuesday and 5.30pm Friday. The figures included repeat calls from students.