UK Think Tank Pushes For Cheaper Visa For Indians

14 Mar 2018

LONDON: A leading UK-based think tank has released a research to support its call for a new, more economical visa regime to attract Indian visitors to the country.  The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) revealed that the UK was losing out as neighboring France attracted 185,000 more Indian business visitors and tourists in 2016.  Overall the number of visits to the UK by Indian nationals fell by 1.73 percent in 2016, while in France it grew by 5.3 percent. 

The UK' market share of Indian outbound tourists has more than halved from 4.4 percent in 2006 to 1.9 percent in 2016 600,000 Indians visited France in 2016, 185,000 more than visited the UK, RCS says in its new Britain and India: Building a New Visa Partnership' fact sheet presented to British MPs earlier this week as part of its campaign launched in 2016 for a new UK-India bilateral visa agreement which would considerably reduce the cost of tourist visas. 

The new UK-India Visa Agreement being proposed would reduce the cost of a two-year visa from 388 pounds to just 89 pounds and allow travelers to make repeat visits within two years. This would mirror the reduced cost two-year multiple entry visas that were launched in January 2016 for visitors traveling both ways between the UK and China, RCS said in a statement.  The RCS feels the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presents the ideal setting for an announcement of the agreement.

A new UK-India bilateral visa agreement will enhance trade and tourism, as well as strengthen important business and cultural ties, enabling both the UK and India to capitalise on future global opportunities, said Labour MP Virendra Sharma, who is backing the campaign. The new fact sheet was produced by the Royal Commonwealth Society with the support of a number of organisations  including Airlines UK, Airport Operators Association, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Edwardian Hotels, Tourism Alliance and UK inbound, a travel trade association which focuses on the interests of the UK's inbound tourism sector.

Indian industry strongly supports this initiative. Indian businesses, students, and tourists already make a big contribution to the economy across the UK," said David Landsman, Chair, CII UK India Business Forum, and Executive Director, Tata Ltd.  "The UK has the potential to benefit more from India's world-beating growth.

A strong balanced and fair visa partnership is an indispensable part of unlocking the potential for both countries, said Landsman. London-based Royal Commonwealth Society was founded in 1868 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) to promote the values of the Commonwealth.  It has been leading a campaign for a new UK-India visa agreement for a few years as it believes it would enhance trade and tourism, and strengthen important business and cultural ties between the two countries. 

To get more details related to Canada fill out a Free Evaluation Form or contact us at [email protected] or call us 7207111222. One of our experts will meet your expectations and provide answers to queries.