Part of UK in Uzbekistan
3rd November 2014 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Changes to UK visa application process
On Friday a new British visa centre, where applicants in Uzbekistan can hand in documents and give their biometrics for UK visa applications, opened in the Tashkent Plaza. It’s run by Teleperformance, who won a tender last year to operate Visa Applications Centres on behalf of the UK visa authorities throughout Europe and Central Asia. This is the first time an office like this has operated in Tashkent, but similar centres have been operating for at least ten years in other parts of the world. It’s part of a world-wide change in the way the UK visa system operates: UK Visas staff making the decisions on visa applications are concentrated in a small number of hubs to which applications are couriered from the Visa Application Centres, in our case to Istanbul.
I visited the centre on Friday, and the operation looked very professional. We will do everything we can to ensure it provides an efficient service for applicants in Uzbekistan. But we will welcome feedback, positive or negative, to help us improve the service still further.
I strongly encourage all applicants for visas to put their applications in in good time before they are due to travel. UK Visas are committed, except in case of applications for settlement, which can take longer, to returning passports to applicants within 15 working days of the date on which the documents are handed over. Applicants should make an appointment with the visa centre when they complete the application form on line.
The purpose of the visa system is to enable people to travel. I would like to see more people travelling from Uzbekistan to the UK and vice-versa. I hope that the new visa centre will help to make applying for the visa an easy and convenient experience.
Dear Ambassador,
Teleperformance Tashkent office needs a proper Supervision.
I applied for a visa in 09.12.2014 in Tashkent, (finally after number of weeks of struggle).
Since 09.12.2014, they have not updated my application stages..
I can track it online, but it does not even show that I have submitted my application.
We are paying around $100 for their service. But the service they are providing is appalling.
How can they put non-existing phone number on the website, never respond to the queries and get away with that?
It’s says that they should respond within 1 working day, but they are currently not doing it.
Can somebody get a grip and oversee what they have been doing?
Thank you.
Dear U. Khairulla, We have checked with Teleperformance who say the tracking system is working. If there is still a problem, I suggest you contact this Embassy directly on ukin.uzbekistan@fco.gov.uk with fuller detail and we can look into it.
Dear Ambassador,
My sister went to Teleperformance’s office in Tashkent Plaza today to find out the problem, as she had difficulties to book an appointment due to “non available slots”. There were about 15-20 people gathering. They all came to have information about the same issue that my sister had.
Unfortunately she has also been told that “They had a website problem and they can not do anything about it”. So all applicants should wait and check the system frequently.
We have been trying book an appointment for 12 days already with NO success. Officials in their office do not even acknowledge the problem and they do not know how to deal with that.
Also one official told my sister that she should print out the application, which is not possible. There are steps on the website, once you complete the application form and sign the declaration, it’s impossible to print it out. It will be available for printing only after you book an appointment, which is NOT happening now.
I think you should be involved to sort out before the queue reaches 100s.. please….???
Thank you.
Appointments are now available for the first week in December.
Hello,
I have a Graduation ceremony in January 2015 and I am inviting my parents.
Since 10.11.2014, I am trying to book an appointment with Teleperformance for Biometrics and I am not being successful. “No appointments are currently available for this location” message keeps appearing.
Unfortunately, there is NO Way of contacting them as the local phone number on their website for Tashkent Office is Wrong.(973-1-6195052)
I called direct to their Head Office in France, Turkey office, as well as British Embassy Tashkent in order to get Uzbekistan Office’s correct phone number, so I would make an enquiry. Nobody could help me with that.
It will be disappointment if my parents miss the Ceremony.
Thank you for sharing information!
However the liink provided by GOV.UK website to make that additional 59 pounds payment is not working. There are some people who have the application ready and are waiting to make payment.
Thank you for pointing this out. I understand there was a problem with the website that has now been resolved.
Thank you. I’d like to comment on the visa processing time. Due to commercial courier service it exceeds that 15 working day limit. Also, the staff who collects documents should be professional what I mean is when they are asked question about visa they simply ignore or they just lack sufficient knowledge. Moreover, when I was waiting for my visa I didn’t get any calls from the staff, I checked my online application several times to make sure whether all my details were correct. Later, I found out that both phone numbers I’d provided were replaced by totally another ones when they copied. What I want to say is that people who work there should feel more responsibility towards their jobs.
Thank you for this. I cannot comment on individual cases, but the 15 working day period does include courier times.