New rules for UK visitor visas for Chinese nationals to be announced

Rumours are circulating around the mill that Theresa May will be making a speech today concerning the immigration rules that govern UK visitor visas for Chinese nationals who wish to visit the UK.

A Whitehall source has stated that the change in attitude is as a result of a campaign conducted by ministers in the Treasury department and Department for Business.

The campaign appears to have been in response to the fact that there are rising fears that the current immigration rules and visa applications are complicated and cumbersome and therefore are acting as a deterrent to foreign students and visitors from China.

The tourist organisation VisitBritain has conducted research which shows that 61 per cent of Chinese people are choosing not to come to the United Kingdom because of the visa process. The issue is one that is causing great concern to the economy.

Some UK immigration lawyers believe that the problem lies in the fact that tourists and business people from China can enter up to 25 EU nations on one visa called a Schengen visa, whilst still requiring an entirely separate visa for the UK.

Theresa May has resisted calls to become part of the Schengen visa scheme on the basis that EU security checks are not adequate.

Immigration barristers and solicitors will be waiting with bated breath to hear what new proposals Theresa May will be putting forward later today.

Of course, you do not have to rely on Theresa May to make the immigration rules easier to understand.  Simply contact an immigration barrister at Richmond Chambers and we will be able to assist you in any visa application that you may wish to complete.