The British High Commissioner to Ghana Iain Walker has dismissed suspicions among Ghanaians that the United Kingdom makes gains from Visa application fees.
According to him, all Visa application fees are used strictly for the Visa procurement processes, and accounted for in the UK parliament.
“Someone applies for the visa, we don’t pay back and the reason is because we don’t make any profit at all. There’s no profit at all, It’s all about cost recovery and everything is internally transparent.
“All the data is available, its goes to parliament every year. There is no profit so the fees are set on the basis of the cost,” he told Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday
He added: “So the reason we don’t reimburse fees if they are not approved is because it’s covering the cost of reviewing”.
Some Ghanaians have expressed concerns over the cost of Visa fees at the British embassy in Accra. Even more painful is the fact that failed UK visa applicants are not reimbursed by the High commission after turning down their applications.
The High Commissioner however admitted that concerns over why the embassy charges more for applicants seeking 5-year visa pay more are legitimate and must be relooked.
“I think it’s because of the longevity of the document and therefore the details due to further review. It’s a good challenge and I think we can look at it”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
