THE British High Commission in Kingston will, as of May 31, be instituting new visa procedures for persons wishing to travel to the United Kingdom.

According to the commission, as of May 31 all visa applications will be made through the UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) that will be located at 34 Trafalgar Road in Kingston. The centre will be run by the embassy’s commercial partner, WorldBridge Service, a division of the United States-based Computer Sciences Corporation.

Responsibility for the issuing of visas will, however, remain with the British High Commission.

“The VAC will provide comprehensive application and information services, as well as undertaking electronic fingerprinting in line with the new requirement for visitors and those planning longer stays in the UK who need visas,” the embassy said in release on Monday, adding that all “existing visas will remain valid until their expiry dates”.

The changes form part of the UK’s Managed Migration Strategy and global Commercial Partnership Programme. A contract was signed in late February with WorldBridge Service to provide outsourced visa services for the UK in many countries, including Jamaica.

The VAC, the embassy said, will be opened on Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Entry clearance fees will be payable only in cash with Jamaican dollars.

“Applicants can continue to make their applications through Jata and Iata travel agents, or through DHL,” the embassy said. “All applicants will nevertheless have to attend the WorldBridge Service office for finger scanning, photographs and application submission.”

As part of the new system, WorldBridge Service will be launching a free website (www.visainfoservices.com) containing information to help applicants determine what type of visa they need and which supporting documents they should supply.

Applicants will also be able to get information on visas by calling WorldBridge Service’s user payphone service, which attracts a fee of US$14 payable only with a Visa or Master Card.