The director of the UK Visa & International Network, Ms. Dominique Hardy, officially unveiled the UK Visas and Immigration's (UKVI) upgraded Visa Application Center on Monday.

In-country printing of UK visas is now possible at the upgraded TLSContact Visa Application Center in Westlands Nairobi, and applications will now be processed and returned within 15 business days.

In a statement from the British High Commission, Ms Hardy launched a brand new service dubbed the Super Priority Visa service, which will enable customers purchasing the service to get feedback within 24 hours.

Lauding the efforts made to implement the new services in the centre, Ms Hardy expressed confidence that service delivery will become seamless and efficient to customers.

“I am delighted that we have opened a larger, improved Visa Application Centre in Nairobi which will benefit all of our customers. We are now able to offer the Super Priority Next Day Visa service in Kenya as part of our continuous efforts to improve our service offer to our customers," she said.

British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott, who was also in attendance, said that the in-country printing system showcases the heights of commitment the UK is willing to work with Kenya.

“The return to in-country printing in Nairobi is a mark of respect and demonstrates our commitment to the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership. Our people form a key part of that partnership and I’m delighted we are able to offer an improved visa service in Kenya," said Marriott.

It is however important to note that Customer Service Standards start from the point where applicants attend their appointment at the Visa Application Centre.

For the Standard Service, the time is 15 working days, 5 working days for the Priority Visa Service and 24 hours for the Super Priority Visa Service.

As of February 20, 2023 UKVI also re-introduced Priority Visa services for customers with a new overseas family visa application. 

Customers will have the choice to use the current standard processing times of 24 weeks or the Priority Visa services, where applications will be assessed within 30 days to 6 weeks from the date of biometric submission.