UK Visa For Indians

News about UK Visa

• Indians top visa categories in the UK

  Indian citizens topped visa-related categories for the year ending September 2020 in spite of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Indian nationals were granted 156,725 visas. Indian professionals accounted for 45% of the Tier 2 visas that were granted, a total of 36,219 visas in that category, which was lower than 56,164 visas that were granted in the same period last year. Indians were among the top non-EU nationalities who were granted British citizenship, a total of 11,801. There was an increase of 48% in the number of Tier 4 student visas that were granted to Indians this year for a total of 44,992 visas. India accounts for 26% of all Tier 4 visas till September 2020 which is an increase of 11% from last year. Indian nationals on student visas also accounted for 40% of dependents. There was a decrease of 19% for family visas granted to Indian nationals. Indian nationals also accounted for the highest number of work-related extensions at 41% of the total number of such extensions, which is a reflection of the successful applications for Tier 2 visas as well. Till the end of September 2020, a total of 14,612 Indians were given visa extensions because of being unable to travel back to India due to the pandemic.

  30 November 2020

• UK government tabled its new points-based student route for visas in Parliament

  In a bid to simplify the previous student visa application requirements for international students applying to study in Britain, the UK government on September 10 tabled its new points-based student route for visas in the Parliament. The route which will apply to all overseas students from October 5. From that day onwards, students will require a total of 70 points to be granted a visa to study at a UK university. The required points can be had if they demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, speak English and is able to support themselves during their studies. As per the UK Home Office, the new route shall treat all students equally including those from Europe after the Brexit transition period ends at the end of this year. It must be noted here that the new student route improves on the previous Tier 4 route by making it more streamlined for sponsoring institutions and their students.

  22 September 2020

• UK government tabled its new points-based student route for visas in Parliament

  In a bid to simplify the previous student visa application requirements for international students applying to study in Britain, the UK government on September 10 tabled its new points-based student route for visas in the Parliament. The route which will apply to all overseas students from October 5. From that day onwards, students will require a total of 70 points to be granted a visa to study at a UK university. The required points can be had if they demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, speak English and is able to support themselves during their studies. As per the UK Home Office, the new route shall treat all students equally including those from Europe after the Brexit transition period ends at the end of this year. It must be noted here that the new student route improves on the previous Tier 4 route by making it more streamlined for sponsoring institutions and their students.

  22 September 2020

• UK suspends Tier 1 Investor visa

  The UK government has suspended the Tier 1 Investor visa, commonly known as ‘Golden Visa’ over fears that it would be misused by Indians and other millionaires. The visa in question here helped an individual fast-track the route to settlement in the country by investing millions in the United Kingdom. The visa was suspended from Friday midnight and would remain that way until new rules are put in place in 2019.

  It needs to be mentioned here that official figures show 76 Indian millionaires using the visa category to gain a permanent settlement in the country since 2009. Of the 76, 13 individuals had used the visa category in 2013 while 7 used it last year.

  It is noteworthy to mention here that under the scheme, a 2 million pound investment bought a visa and indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after a period of 5 years; investment of 5 million pounds cut the eligibility period to three years and a 10 million pound investment meant getting permanent settlement within two years.

  Caroline Nokes, the country’s Immigration minister said that the decision was taken to make sure that only genuine investors, who want to support UK businesses can benefit from the system.

  11 December 2018

• Cost incurred for UK visa to rise for Indian and non-EU immigrants from December

  With plans of raising the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), the overall cost of a UK visa for Indians and non-EU citizens is expected to rise from December. The IHS is payable when students, professionals and family members apply for a visa to visit the country. As per the officials, the cost of availing the visa will go up to 400 pounds from the existing 200 pounds while students and those on a youth mobility scheme will need to pay 300 pounds per year.

  It needs to be mentioned that the IHS was introduced in 2015 in a bid to enable immigrants to access the National Health Service (NHS) during their stay in the country. Till date, IHS has raised more 600 million pounds from Indian and non-EU citizens.  

  Immigration minister Caroline Nokes while speaking on the higher IHS stated that while the government welcomes long-term migrants it believes that it is right to ask the immigrants to make a fair contribution in ensuring the long-term sustainability of NHS. As per estimated costs, NHS spends 470 pounds on average per person a year for treatment.

  22 November 2018

• Bilateral ties between India and UK likely to sour

  Given the decision taken by the UK government of not including India in the revised list of countries eligible for easier student visas can cast a shadow on the bilateral ties between the countries. The decision can also result in the UK losing out on the best of Indian talent Indians may Delhi can go ahead and engage with countries in the European Union regarding the issue of migration. It needs to be mentioned that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country in April, he did not sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the return of illegal Indian immigrants after London refused to relax visa norms to Indians.

  Karan Bilimoria, the founding chairman of the UK Council for International Students has expressed shock at the recent development of excluding India from the list of countries whose students would benefit from a streamlined British visa process. Terming the move as ‘short-sighted’, he urged the government to reintroduce the two-year post-study work visa which will enable international students to work and earn in the country so that they can pay for their education as well as gain experience.

  26 June 2018

• India excluded from the list of countries deemed as ‘low risk’ by UK

  The United Kingdom has not included India in the list of countries that have been deemed ‘low risk’ by the government. The countries that were already included in the ‘low risk’ were US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand. New entrants to the list include China, Bahrain, Indonesia, Mexico, Maldives, Macau, Kuwait, Thailand and Serbia. The UK government has relaxed visa rules for students of countries that have been included in the ‘low risk’ list.

  The benefits enjoyed by the students of countries included in the ‘low risk’ list will be put into effect by the UK government from July 6 onwards. Students of the ‘low risk’ countries as deemed by the United Kingdom foreign department will not have to provide any financial, educational or English skill requirements proof. It does not get any easier for Indian students who will have to pass through stringent security and document verification before getting a student visa to study in the UK.

  Head of UK council for international student affairs, Lord Bilimoria said that the UK government’s non-inclusion of India in ‘low risk’ list is a setback for Indian students aspiring to study in the UK. He even described the UK government’s actions as an insult to India. However, the UK government has defended its decision to not include India in the list by saying that after China and the US, Indian students are the biggest beneficiaries of the UK student visa.

  19 June 2018

• UK home secretary’s immigration rethink welcomed

  The announcement made by the new UK home secretary Sajid Javid regarding a rethink on the key aspects of Britain’s immigration policy has been welcomed by the country’s university bodies, the Indian industry among others. It needs to be mentioned that the country is planning on making some changes to its policy which is likely to have an impact on foreign students and Tier 2 visa holders.

  A spokesperson for Universities UK stated that removing students from the net migration target would be a positive policy change. Dr. Hollie Chandler, a senior policy analyst at Russell Group while supporting the announcement said that international students bring in new ideas and ensure that there is a diverse, dynamic learning environment.

  Dr. Ramesh Mehta, who is the president of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin while terming the proposed change of putting a cap on doctors as ‘ridiculous’, urged the policymakers to remove healthcare workers in the country from the tier 2 visa category.

  12 June 2018

• Indian Migrants Appeal for Restoration of Work Rights Pending Visa Review

  A number of highly-skilled professionals are urging the UK Home Office to restore work and healthcare access rights to those whose visa applications are being reviewed. The review was announced after a number of Tier 1 (General) visa holders had their residency rights revoked due to minor corrections in their tax returns.

  Under current law, reviews of such visa applications result in the suspension of access to public healthcare and work rights.

  Close to 1,000 highly skilled professionals have been affected by this policy, with the majority being form India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

  7 June 2018

• Indian doctors receive support from UK public for visas

  A survey conducted by UK based campaign group ‘38 Degrees’ has revealed that the UK public are in favor of more visas being granted to Indian doctors due to the ongoing medical crisis going on in the country. 71% of the people who voted in the survey wanted the government to decide for visa access depending on the requirements rather than following the current policy of granting visa access to NHS workers based on monthly cap.

  Only 20,700 tier 2 visas are granted to companies to bring in highly skilled workers from outside the European Union (EU) every year by the British government which means the monthly count is 1,600. This cap means that despite the shortage of doctors faced by the medical community in Britain, the monthly cap does not allow the NHS to recruit adequate doctors from India. According to the experts, the cap in bringing workers from outside the EU could have serious effects on the British economy’s development. The Home Office however does not agree with this stance and as per them the cap will enforce the recruiters to first look for skilled professionals in Britain first which would increase employment in the country.

  31 May 2018

• Skilled workers from India hit hard by UK immigration cap

  As per data released recently, as many as 6,080 skilled workers from India that also comprised engineers, IT professionals, doctors and teachers holding a UK job offer were denied visas to the UK since December 2017. This indicates that skilled workers from the country are most likely to be the hardest hit given the introduction of UK’s annual visa cap. The data was acquired by the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) via a Freedom of Information (FOI) to the UK Home Office.

  Of the 6,080 visa refusals under the Tier 2 category, 3050 skilled workers were for engineering, IT, technology, teaching and medical roles. It needs to be mentioned that companies are given a cap of 20,700 per year to bring in professionals from outside the EU under the Tier 2 visa category, with a monthly limit of around 1,600. It is noteworthy that as per UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures, Indians are granted the largest chunk of skilled work visas in the country which is comprised of 57%.

  21 May 2018

• India-UK bilateral agreement on returning immigrants facing fresh hurdles

  As per a newspaper report, the bilateral agreement between India and the United Kingdom on returning illegal immigrants has hit fresh hurdles. This comes after the agreement was put off when prime minister visited London in April this year. The report while quoting an Indian official has stated that issues like consent clause, fear of large-scale deportation and security concerns needs to be addressed first before the signing of the agreement takes place.

  The consent clause seems to be the bone of contention as both the countries are not being able to reach a common ground. While the Indian government is pushing for it, the UK government is not very keen as that would need them to make an exemption with regard to an undocumented individual staying in their country.

  It needs to be mentioned that the number of illegal immigrants from India who are residing in the United Kingdom is estimated to be between 75,000 to one lakh. The report published in a leading daily highlighted that around 5,000 Indians had voluntarily returned while nearly 700 were deported in 2017.

  16 May 2018