Page 4 - Uk Visa

UK tables visa rules for foreign workers, clampdown on bringing families

The UK government on Monday tabled a tough new set of measures to bring down the country's immigration numbers, including a much higher salary threshold for foreign workers to access skilled visas and a clampdown on bringing family members as their dependants. UK Home Secretary James Cleverly delivered a statement in the House of Commons to reveal that under the crackdown, which will also impact Indians, medics on Health and Care visas will no longer be able to bring any family members with them. For those applying under other skilled worker visa routes, the salary threshold for an application will rise from the current GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700. The same salary amount will apply to those applying under the family visa category, which currently stands at GBP 18,600. "Immigration policy must be fair, consistent, legal, and sustainable," Cleverly told the Parliament. In total, this package plus our reduction in student dependants will mean around 300,000 fewer people will come in fut

UK visa fee hike for visitors, students to be effective from Oct 4

The British government has announced that a proposed hike in visa fees will become effective from October 4, when a visit visa for under six months will cost GBP 15 more and student visas will be GBP 127 more expensive for travellers from around the world, including Indians. Following legislation tabled in Parliament on Friday, the UK Home Office said the changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months will rise to GBP 115 and the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise to GBP 490 to equal the amount charged for in-country applications. It comes after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had announced in July that the fees and health surcharge paid towards the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) by visa applicants are set to rise significantly to meet the country's public sector wage increase. We are going to increase the charges that we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and indeed ...

Requirements for a UK work visa might get easier for Indians. Here is why

Net migration to the UK reached an unprecedented 606,000 individuals last year

Govt likely to slash duty on UK cars, scotch whisky under trade pact

Striking a trade accord is critical for India's ambition to become a manufacturing powerhouse, while the UK is seeking to clinch new deals to highlight the benefits of Brexit

UK visa fees, health surcharge to rise to meet higher costs, says PM Sunak

The fees and health surcharge paid towards the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) by visa applicants from around the world, including Indians, are set to rise "significantly to meet the country's public sector wage increase, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday. The British Indian leader, who was under pressure to accept the recommendation of an independent review of pay for teachers, police, junior doctors and other public sector workers, confirmed a hike between 5 and 7 per cent across the board. However, he stressed that this would not be met with higher government borrowing for fear of further stoking high inflation and therefore the costs would need to be found elsewhere. If we're going to prioritise paying public sector workers more, that money has to come from somewhere else because I'm not prepared to put up people's taxes and I don't think it would be responsible or right to borrow more because that would just make inflation worse, Sunak told reporters a

UK to soon disallow international students to bring dependants along

The move comes ahead of the official data, which is expected to show that legal migration has hit a record high of 700,000 this year

India received the highest number of UK student visas in 2022: Envoy

The UK issued a total of 2,836,490 visas in 2022, out of which 25 per cent went to India, the highest number issued to any country, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said on Tuesday

UK providing visit visas within 15 days to travellers from India: Envoy

The UK is now providing visit visas to travellers from India within 15 days of receiving applications, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said on Friday. At the same time, he said a small number of trickier cases take longer time. "Two months ago, I said that our aim was by the end of the year to be turning around visit visas from India to the UK within our standard time of 15 working days. The great news is that the team has now achieved it through fantastic work here in Delhi and across the whole visa network," Ellis said in a short video clip that he posted on Twitter. "There are still a few cases which take longer, the very complex ones and that's right that they do," he added. The high commissioner described quicker visa processing as "good news". "You can of course use the priority visa channel if you still want. We are turning that around within five days. And finally we have a big intake of student visas for the student session starting in January of next year," he said.

Visa consultancy firm BLS International crosses $1 bn in market cap

Delhi-based company says its business gained after countries eased travel restrictions for Covid-19

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Sunak greenlights 3,000 UK visas for Indians hours after meeting PM Modi

The British government said India is the first visa-national country to benefit from such a scheme, highlighting the strength of the UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnership agreed last year.

India ramps up visa processing in UK, announces new process for group tours

These steps come following complaints of visa delays that have resulted in trip cancellations

Action initiated on all cases: India on UK's visa overstayer claim

India has countered UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman's claim that the Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) had not "worked very well" to say that India had initiated action on all cases raised with it under the agreement. In response to a PTI query about Braverman's interview in The Spectator' that branded Indians as the largest group of people who overstay their visas in the UK, the Indian High Commission here said that India awaits demonstrable progress on certain commitments undertaken by the UK government under the MMP that was signed last year. As part of our wider discussions under Migration and Mobility, the government of India is committed to working with the government of the UK to facilitate the return of Indian citizens who have overstayed their visa period here in the UK, the High Commission of India statement said on Thursday. As per the data shared with the Home Office, as of date, action has been initiated on all of the cases referred to the High Commission. ...

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman objects to increasing visas for Indians

Suella Braverman has again risked upsetting No. 10 after saying she has "reservations" about Britain's trade deal with India because it could increase immigration to the UK, The Guardian reported

Indian students to the UK start getting priority and super priority visas

Under the Priority Visa service, the UK government decides on the student's visa application within five days. Under the Super Priority service, it is granted by the end of next working day

Travelling abroad? This is what embassies have to say about visa delays

Steep airfares, congested terminals among other challenges for travellers

Bajrang Punia obtains UK visa, will travel to US for training ahead of CWG

"The Sports Ministry, through the Ministry of External Affairs, got in touch with the British High Commission to seek the UK Visa for Bajrang, which has now been obtained," a SAI media release said.

UK eases visa route for Ukrainian refugees stuck in France's Calais

Ukrainians arriving in France's English Channel port city of Calais with hopes of joining family in Britain can request visas at the local prefecture from Friday.

India eyes services concessions, easier visa rules in UK trade pact

New Delhi wants proposed 'early harvest' trade pact to focus on at least 40-50 items

Number of UK visas granted to Indian students more than doubles in FY20

UK's new post-study work visa, or Graduate Route comes in force from 2020-21 academic year, it is expected to have a further positive impact on Indian student applications