[InKunming--China]  The UK is set to extend its network of visa application centres in China from 12 to 15 in anticipation of record demand this year, the UK’s Immigration Minister announced on May 26.

The new centres will be located in Kunming, Changsha and Xi'an and will start welcoming applicants from next month.

Launch date of UK's new visa application centre in Kunming is on June 15. Address of the UK’s Kunming visa application is situated at Room 1502B, Building 5, Xindulongcheng, No. 1079 Beijing Road, Kunming City, Yunnan Province 650000 China.

Launch date of UK's new visa application centre set in Xi’an is on June 10. Address of the UK’s Xi'an visa application is situated at Room 1103, Building A, Mole Collection Centers, Cross Road of Keji 6th Road and Fenghui South Road, High-tech Zone, Xian City, Shaanxi Province 710000 China.

Launch date of UK's new visa application centre set in Changsha is on 27 June. Address of the UK's Changsha visa application is situated at No.1-3 Conference Room, 2/F, White Swan Hotel, No.258, Xiangfu Zhong Road, Tianxin District, Changsha City, Hunan Province 410000 China.

Customers applying online will be able to book appointments at the new centres from the beginning of June. Further details will be provided in due course.

The three new centres will be ideally located to improve the service’s geographical presence and make it even more accessible to as many Chinese people as possible. They will offer many of the premium services available elsewhere, including the popular 3-5 day priority visa service.

The UK's commitment to expand the network was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron during the State Visit of President Xi to the UK in October, 2015. The Prime Minister also announced the introduction of a two year visit visa pilot for Chinese nationals, which launched in January, 2016.

The UK is committed to delivering an excellent visa service in China. More than 491,000 visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2015 – up 19% on the previous year.

Right now, the UK already has visa application centres in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzen and Wuhan.

Meanwhile, the UK is also enlarging its existing visa application centres in Beijing and Guangzhou in preparation for the peak application period.

Martyn Roper, Chargé d'Affaires, British Embassy Beijing, said:"The expansion of our network of visa application centres in China is great news for our customers, as well as the UK tourism industry. A trip to the UK, whether for business or leisure, is now one step closer for tens of thousands of people. We are anticipating a record number of applications in China this summer and are in no doubt that our world-class visa service can meet this increasing demand."