UK visa process to be streamlined in India
by Christine M - June 22, 2010
United Kingdom, 22nd June: Here comes good news for Indian applicants seeking UK visas as the UK High Commissioner is going to significantly reduce UK visa processing times.
This will happen after the new processing facilities for UK visas gets underway in the coming two weeks, stated the UK deputy high commissioner in eastern India.
Giving details about the latest move by the UK immigration department, Mr. Sanjay Wadhvani said that the new UK visa processing facilities will get implemented in the next 15 days. Wadhvani added that as the UK visa process has been simplified and the rejections of any applications for UK visas are only due to incomplete forms for UK visas.
Presently, it takes around 15 days time for complete processing of UK visas. however, the streamlined UK visa process will result in reducing the waiting time for getting UK visas to just around 10 days, asserted Mr. Wadhvani.
He was speaking at a Calcutta Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The latest move by the UK immigration department is aimed to strengthen relationships between the UK and India, stated Mr. Wadhvani. Hence, the reduction in the waiting times for UK visas is being considered by the new UK government as a step towards better relations in sectors including industrial, agricultural, financial and business.
It is being expected that the trade missions to India by the UK in the coming times will increase to a great extent as the new UK government settles down, Mr. Wadhvani quipped.
Each year, nearly one million people from India go to the UK on UK travel visas. In 2009, around 4.25 lakh Indians applied for UK visas to move to the country. Seeing an unprecedented rush of applicants for UK visas and a large number of people moving to the UK, the UK immigration rules were revamped nearly a year and a half.
UK needs to take a few calculated risks in eastern India and become a little more adventurous since several companies are ready to export their goods beyond North America. The need is to establish a contact between the companies and the UK government and businesses in order to begin ties.
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