A new Visa Application Centre (VAC) has been opened in India’s IT capital, Bangalore, by UK immigration minister Brandon Lewis.
The centre will make it easier for experienced and skilled Indian IT workers to come to the UK.
The VAC, which is in the middle of Bengaluru’s business district, will mean that talented Indian workers applying for a UK visas will no longer have to travel across the city to collect their visa. This is the 18th VAC in India with other centres already existing in key locations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
India is the fourth largest investor in the UK, and last year almost 60,000 work visas were granted to Indian nationals – around two-thirds of all UK work visas issued globally. It is anticipated that the opening of the new VAC will serve to benefit some of the biggest IT firms in India, including Infosys and Tata Corporate Services by ensuring their best talent has easy access to the UK.
Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said, “The opening of this visa application centre is yet another example of how the Government is making it easier for businesses across the world to work with the UK. India has always been an important partner for us and we are committed to building on this relationship and positioning ourselves as a truly global Britain.”
He continued: “The UK is open for business and this centre will make it easier than ever before for the brightest and best Indian workers in the important IT industry to come to the UK. We want to ensure that both countries are benefitting from the sharing of ideas, expertise and technology.”
The opening of the centre comes after a series of reforms to make it quicker for Indian applicants to apply for their visas. The Government has recently expanded the criteria for the same day, 3-5-day Priority Visa and Super-Priority services, which was previously only open to visitors. Now first-time visitors, students and those applying for most work visas can use these services, further strengthening relationships between the two countries.
Article published 8th November 2017