Written question asked by Andrew Mackinlay (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 December 2008. It was answered by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Monday, 15 December 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Entry Clearances: Kyrgyzstan

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application for entry clearance to the UK in respect of musicians and performers invited by the Kyrgyz Ambassador was first received; and on what dates the application was processed in (a) Kyrgyzstan, (b) Almaty, (c) Astana and (d) London.

Answer: The visa applications submitted by musicians and performers invited by the Kyrgyz Ambassador were received at the British Embassy Office Almaty on 10 October 2008. Due to technical difficulties the three musicians were asked to re-submit their applications on 29 October. That same day a further, but different failure in the IT system meant that Post was unable to process any visa applications for two weeks. The musicians elected to retrieve their passports during this time. Their applications have yet to be processed and the British Embassy Office in Almaty is awaiting further instructions from the musicians as to whether they wish to proceed with their applications or withdraw their applications (with a full refund). Applications from these musicians and performers have not been received or processed in (a) Kyrgyzstan, (c) Astana and (d) London.The UK Border Agency has reviewed whether it is possible for a Visa Application Centre, operated by its Commercial Partners, VFS, to open in Bishkek. On average, six applicants from Bishkek apply for visas every day. This low number means that it is not economically viable to operate a Visa Application Centre, although we are exploring whether we are able to partner with other countries and open a shared centre.

Secondary information