The Hindu Business Line : CII seeks clarity on UK visa norms

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) plans to organise programmes for businesses to understand the new UK visa regulations. The industry body is trying to get the British High Commission to explain the new visa processes touching upon areas like the requirements to apply for a UK visa and time taken to process the applications.

“We also want clarity on filling application forms and how the new points based system (for evaluating visa applications) will function,” said Mr T.T. Ashok, Past Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council, on the sidelines of a seminar on opportunities for Indian investors in the UK, hosted by UK Trade and Investment and CII.

The points based system will be introduced in India from April 1 for highly skilled migrants, such as IT professionals and doctors, seeking UK visas.

Norms tightened

UK in recent times had made its visa norms more stringent resulting in complicated application forms, not permitting families accompanying businessmen on one visa and issuing shorter-term visas, in general, for businessmen, Mr Ashok said.

The British High Commission is also collecting biometric samples as part of visa processing, leading to a longer process cycle. Work permits rules too are being changed with the UK insisting on some formal training/certification to allow migrant workers into the country.

Of the 10,000 Indian businesses in UK, most are small and medium enterprises engaged in businesses such as restaurants, grocery stores, home utilities, newspaper distribution and other activities that do not require any specific skill. “We need to know what will happen to these establishments once the new work permit rules are in place,” Mr Ashok said.

Earlier in the seminar he said the Indian food industry in the UK was worth 3.5 billion pounds employing over 50,000 Indians. Indian businesses contribute about 5 per cent to London’s economy.

Mr Michael Gourlay, Director, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa- Think London, the city’s FDI agency, urged Indian businesses to make use of the opportunity that the 2012 London Olympics games presented.

More Stories on : Visa Regulations | Industry Associations | Tamil Nadu

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