Guyana - The IOM Mission in Guyana this week opened their first Temporary Enrolment Location (TEL) under a partnership with VFS Global to handle visa applications for people travelling to the United Kingdom.

On its first day the office in the capital Georgetown assisted 19 applicants by taking the necessary biometrics for their visa applications for the UK and providing passport courier services to and from the decision-making centre at the British High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.

“By outsourcing these services to IOM, countries reduce costs and workloads for diplomatic missions, visa and immigration offices. The IOM-operated TELs and Visa Application Centres (VAC) handle many of the time-consuming administrative tasks involved in the visa application process,” explains Rui Reis Oliveira, IOM Chief of Mission in Guyana.  

“IOM staff is trained to assist applicants and to verify that only properly completed visa applications are submitted, along with all required supporting documentation. By providing these services in their countries of residence, we also save applicants from having to travel long distances to give their biometrics and save them money,” he adds.

The TEL in Georgetown is expected to process around 1,000 applicants in 2014.

IOM will also be responsible for the management and operation of a permanent VAC in Jamaica (Kingston) and seven other UK TELs in the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo), Barbados (Bridgetown), St. Lucia (Castries), Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Ecuador (Quito) and Panama (Panama City).

Currently, IOM also operates centres around the world on behalf of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Applicants are advised to visit www.vfsglobal.co.uk/Guyana to view the 2014 Visa Application Centre (VAC) operating schedule, or www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/guyana.

For more information, please contact

IOM Guyana
Email: iomguyana@iom.int
Tel: +592 225 3745

or

Jason Clarke
IOM HQ in Geneva
Email: jclarke@iom.int