India Should be Included in Cheaper Visa Scheme: UK Report

At present, Indian visitors pay a hefty 330 pounds for a two-year visa.

Indian visitors currently pay a hefty 330 pounds for a two-year visa. (Photo: iStockPhoto)

It seems as if Britain wants to strengthen bilateral ties with India by including it in Britain’s cheaper two-year visitor visa scheme.

Or at least that’s what a recent report by the UK’s Royal Commonwealth Society called ‘A Passage from India – Improving UK Visitor Visas for Indian Nationals’ suggests.

The suggestion is an attempt to attract more Indian visitors to the country, especially in the context of UK’s declining market share of global Indian tourists, which has halved over the last decade, costing the country an estimated 500 million pounds per year.

We hope that the government will consider the very clear benefits of our recommendation, enhancing the already close affinity between two great Commonwealth nations.

Tim Hewish, Author, Royal Commonwealth Society Report

In October 2015, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a pilot scheme for a two-year UK-China visitor visa costing 87 pounds. The report recommends that Indian nationals ought to have the same opportunity.

Extending the visa pilot to include India is not just about governments, but also about people-to-people and economic-cultural exchange. Greater interaction through visitor visits will encourage familiarity.

Report

Currently, Indian visitors pay a hefty 330 pounds for a two-year visa.

(With inputs from PTI.)