Visas for overseas workers in Guernsey could be delayed

Study, work and family visas are taking longer to process said the UK Home Office

Firms trying to bring in overseas staff could be affected by visa delays, Guernsey Border Agency has warned.

It said the UK Visas and Immigration service was experiencing delays as it was "prioritising Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine applications".

Deputy Rob Prow said the delays could impact businesses locally if they were seeking UK entry visas for new staff.

A Home Office spokesperson said they were "working to reduce the current processing times".

Guernsey Border Agency said people applying for standard visas to the UK and islands from outside the Common Travel Area, (UK, Republic of Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man), may face longer waits.

Mr Prow, the president of Guernsey's committee for home affairs said: "Unfortunately, at this stage UKVI is not able to provide a timescale as to when this situation will change, but we know it is working as quickly as possible to process visa applications amid the understandable need to prioritise Ukraine applications."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are prioritising Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, so applications for study, work and family visas have taken longer to process.

"UKVI are working to reduce the current processing times as quickly as possible."

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