Neil Thomson (pictured left) used to be a global offshore crewing manager for Subsea 7 but started his company, The Visa Team, only 6 months ago when Subsea 7 announced they were reducing their global headcount by 2500 people.

The company specialises in providing visa handling services for the oil and gas and marine industries and is now targeting global expansion and considering additional locations in the Middle East and Far East with a view to opening an international site within the next six months.

Demand has already seen it expand in the UK, with offices in Glasgow and London, and another in Edinburgh planned.

Kevin Smith (pictured right), who has a record of running and backing successful companies including oil and gas recruitment businesses Atlantic Resourcing and Offshore Marine Services, is a providing a significant six-figure investment as well as invaluable expertise to The Visa Team. The company is believed to be Scotland’s only business completely dedicated to providing an efficient and low cost process for obtaining visas for personnel travelling from the UK to deliver projects around the world.

The Visa Team provides a wide range of services including global visa applications, private embassy visits, new passports, express passports, legal notarising and translation.

Kevin said: “At a time when the international oil and gas industry is being urged to find efficiency savings, I believe Neil and his team are presenting an offer which makes complete sense. They are taking both the cost and hassle out of obtaining visas to send people to projects, both onshore and offshore, around the world.

“The opening up of new oil and gas opportunities globally, coupled with challenging local markets, means that many companies are looking for growth on the international stage. The Visa Team is helping many firms in that internationalisation process, by taking the potential problem of obtaining work visas off their hands and allowing them to focus on their core services.”

Neil commented: “We have been working hard to introduce our service to potential clients and are already working with a number of companies to meet their visa needs.

“Kevin’s vast knowledge and expertise, both of the oil and gas sector and of supporting successful businesses, brings a tremendous benefit. With Kevin at our side, we look forward to continuing growth and ensuring The Visa Team is on the ground in key locations around the world.

“It’s ambitious to be looking at opening an international office before the end of 2016, but the feedback we’ve had has been extremely positive and I have no doubt we can make this a reality, particularly now we have the resources to do so.”

The pair plans to pool their respective knowledge to widen The Visa Team’s growing client base by targeting companies outside of the UK and in other sectors beyond oil and gas.

Neil added: “At a time when things are tough for many companies, I see an opportunity to help them work internationally and deliver efficiencies for their business.”