Last week we secured UK visas for a family of 11 members, with the total transaction amounting to AED 154 000. The deal is now considered one of the largest single visa transactions in the history of regional visa consulting.
The total cost included UK government fees, priority and super-priority processing, as well as premium document concierge services and legal reviews for each application. The family — holding passports of different nationalities travels four to six times per year. They opted for long-term visas (valid for several years) to avoid going through the entire visa process from scratch before every trip.
Rising airfare and hotel costs, combined with growing uncertainty around Schengen visas, are encouraging affluent residents of the UAE to turn to the UK instead — where visitor visas can be obtained for up to 10 years.
Anastasia Yanchenko, CEO of The Visa Services puts it simply
Many people think they are paying for a visa. In reality, they are paying for confidence. For affluent families in the UAE, a visa is the freedom to travel whenever they choose. AED 154 000 for 11 people is not a standard amount. But it is an efficient way to avoid disrupting several planned trips — which would have cost them far more. Clients trust us and are willing to pay — not because they don’t watch their spending, but because their time is more valuable.
Read the full story about this transaction in Khaleej Times.
