UK and Australia to share visa centre

The UK Border Agency and Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship will share the current UK visa application centre in Colombo, from February 8 a media release from the British High Commission said.

Applicant’s can call over at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) at the Access Towers (level 5), Union Place, Colombo 2 henceforth to obtain UK or Australian visas. The UK and Australia have agreed to share a number of visa application centres and biometric collection facilities worldwide, as Australia begins to collect biometric data from its visa customers. This VAC sharing arrangement is already in place in other locations.

This initiative does not change the way in which UK visa applicants submit their visa applications and biometrics at the VAC. There is also no change to the process by which the UK Border Agency makes decisions on all UK visa applications, the release said.

“Applicants’ biometric and personal data will not be shared as part of this initiative. The information of UK visa applicants and Australia visa applicants will be stored and processed separately.