Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

More Indians applying for UK visa

by LAUREN CODLING

THE number of Indians visiting the UK is increasing year-on year, according to UK Government statistics.


UK Visas and Immigration have published figures showing the number of Indians visiting the UK is increasing year-on year.

Of the 2.1 million UK visitor visas granted in 2017, there was an 11 per cent increase in those granted to visitors from India (up 43,816 to 433,852).

The UK was among the top six destinations for which visa applications were processed from India in 2016 and 2017. The other countries were the US, Malaysia, Canada, China and the Schengen area, according to VFS Global, an outsourcing visa service for governments worldwide.

VFS Global revealed that there has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of visa applications from India in 2017 (4.7 million), compared to 2016 (4.3 million). The figures also showed a 14 per cent increase in the number of outbound visa applications processed by VFS Global from India from January until June this year.

A straight-forward experience in securing a visa can have a significant impact on tourist or business travel choices, according to a study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Anirudh Pratap Singh, 40, is the COO of VFS Global Services in Europe and Americas. He explained to Eastern Eye that VFS Global’s aim is to make the process more streamlined and give clients a positive experience when applying for a visa.

That can, in turn, help clients to have a positive perception of the country they hope to visit.

“VFS Global developed on the base of the need of the client and in terms of what else they wanted us to do,” Singh explained.

The concept of VFS Global came about as a solution to the problems embassies faced working locally and accommodating customers. The company, which was founded in 2001, discussed with embassies what they needed from the service.

VFS Global began at the US embassy in Mumbai, and since then, has grown to become India’s largest visa service provider with 45 client governments.

It serves almost 60 governments around the world, including the UK, Japan, Germany, Russia and France. There are more than 2,600 application centres in 140 countries

across five continents.

Singh, who has worked with VFS Global since 2005, explained that the company’s expansion has meant more options for customers.

For instance, in April, VFS Global launched a Mobile Visa Application Centre (MVAC) in Thailand. Called a first-of-its-kind ‘visa application centre on wheels’, the MVAC aims to make the process easier, with technology tailored to register biometrics and accept visa applications remotely from any location.

The company also offers an ‘On Demand Mobile Biometrics’ service, to improve flexibility of the visa application experience for UK visa applicants in Qatar. A team will travel to a client’s home, taking down their details and biometrics, meaning they are able to avoid travelling to an embassy or application centre.

“There are different needs of different people,” Singh said.

However, he emphasised the need for tight security within the visa process. “Security is the most important aspect. You cannot compromise it for any person and you cannot have anything in place that compromises that,” he added.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less