All UK visa applications submitted in Bangladesh will be assessed by the Visa Section at the British High Commission in New Delhi from October 1.
Bangladeshi applicants, as usual, will submit their visa applications at Visa Application Centres in Dhaka and Sylhet and the cost of the service will stay the same, said a statement of the British High Commission in Dhaka yesterday.
There will be no need for applicants to travel to India and there would be no difference to the quality or speed of its service.
“We will continue to operate within our existing service standards of 15 working days for non-settlement cases and 60 working days for settlement cases,” the statement added.
Passports will remain in Bangladesh and decisions will continue to be made by British Crown Servants, it said.
The decision is a part of a global strategy of the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration to reduce the number of locations around the world where decisions are made on visa applications.
“As part of this change the Visa Section at the British High Commission in Dhaka from 1 October 2014, will no longer be a decision making centre,” the release said.