
The UK Government introduced a visa requirement for all Namibian nationals intending to travel to the United Kingdom including those visiting the country effective July 2023
The decision to implement the visa regime according to the UK Government comes as a response to a notable increase in UK asylum applications from Namibian citizens which has been a cause of concern since 2016
During 2024 VFS Global will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service VCAS Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa and the Middle East the Americas Australasia and Europe China and Taiwan as well as Asia
These centres will accept all categories of visa applications as well as UK passport applications in some locations Combined these new centres are estimated to process 38 million applicants every year VFS Global said
In the African region VFS Global will deploy VCAS Centres for the UK in 31 countries during the year namely Algeria Angola Botswana Cameroon Democratic Republic of Congo Côte dIvoire Egypt Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Kenya Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Saint Helena Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Sudan Tanzania Tunisia Uganda Zambia and Zimbabwe
VFS Global is set to make use of the latest technologies to do identity checks and ensure the integrity of the visa and passport application process as part of the new contract is expected to deliver savings to the UK Government
VFS Global is the worlds largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions