Indians Get Lion's Share Of UK Visas, China Trails Behind At 13%

Indians have emerged as the leading recipients of visas from the United Kingdom, constituting nearly a third of all visas granted, surpassing other nationalities. This makes them highest getters of visas for the UK, with Chinese nationals trailing behind at 13%.

Due to this heightened demand for travel, VFS Global has announced plans to establish temporary centers exclusively for the UK in various tier-II cities across India, including Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Dehradun, Indore, and Thane.

In the year ending June 2023, the UK granted over 1.8 million visitor visas, exhibiting a remarkable increase of 96% compared to the preceding year's statistics, as reported by UK government data. Among the recipients of these visitor visas, Indian nationals comprised the largest share at 30%, followed by Chinese nationals at 13%, with Nigerian and Turkish nationals each accounting for 6%.

Expressing VFS Global's commitment to facilitating visa accessibility, Prabuddha Sen, the COO (South Asia) of VFS Global, highlighted the intention to establish these temporary centers in smaller Indian cities. This strategic move aims to alleviate the burden on applicants, sparing them the need to travel to major cities to apply for UK visas, which come with relatively high application fees. According to data from the UK government website, the fees for a standard visitor visa range from Rs 12,615 for a six-month visa to Rs 1,05,639 for a 10-year visa. Notably, these visa fees were increased in October.

In response to the escalating demand for visas, the UK, alongside Canada (prior to recent strains in Delhi-Ottawa relations), emerged as one of the first major destinations for Indians, offering expedited visa processing post-Covid. The UK achieved a processing time of fewer than 15 working days for a visit visa in December, a return to the pre-pandemic level, owing to the efforts of the High Commissioner, Alex Ellis.

Following the Covid pandemic, Indian travelers surged as significant visitors to various countries, especially as China's reopening was comparatively slower. In acknowledgment of this trend, Alex Ellis previously noted that "Indian nationals were issued the largest number of UK study, work, and visitor visas in the year ending June 2022."

The establishment of centers in tier-II cities forms a part of the new global contract for overseas UK visa and Citizenship services recently awarded to VFS Global. Sen revealed plans to deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centers for the UK across 142 countries globally by 2024, spanning regions across Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Australasia, Europe, China, Taiwan, Asia, and the Asia Pacific.