Residents can apply for British visas at the new visa application center at the Chengjian Building in Guangzhou from Tuesday, instead of going to the British Consulate-General.

According to a Guangzhou Daily report, visa applications will be endorsed within one or two days of being lodged at the new center, which is said to be the first in south China.

The British Embassy has introduced a network of visa application centers across the country. The first opened in Beijing on Feb. 23

Under the expanded system, applicants will no longer have to submit their applications directly to the embassy or consulates. They will be able to do this at their nearest visa application center.

The application centers will courier applications to the British Embassy or nearest consulate-general for rapid assessment. The vast majority of decisions will be made without the need for an interview. In addition to the visa fee, the application center service provider will levy a charge of around 220 yuan (US$26.7) for the visa administration service.

A center will open in Shenzhen on April 5.

Advice on applications and visa forms can be found on the embassy Web site: www.uk.cn.

(Shenzhen Daily March 23, 2005)