New visa system for Indian travellers

A new visa system will make it quicker and simpler for frequent Indian travellers to make the most of opportunities to visit or do business in the UK.

The new scheme, announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India, will feature a super priority visa service for regular visitors, trusted business visitors and Tier 2 applicants. These visas will be processed in just one day and applicants can apply at application centres in Delhi and Mumbai.

The service, which will launch in March, has been set up following feedback from prominent Indian businesses and will run alongside the current Priority and Standard visa services.

According to the Home Office, India remains the UK’s biggest visa operation in the world, processing around 400,000 applications each year .The vast majority of applications – over 97% of UK business visit visas and 86% of visit visas – are approved and UKBA processes 95% of applications within 15 working days.

A range of enhanced optional services for top business customers are also available, including premium lounges and out-of-hours application appointments at visa application centres. In addition, UKBA has piloted the first mobile biometrics clinic in India and is looking to expand this service in the future.

This service does not replace the process for expediting visas on compassionate grounds.