The process to get a UK visa in India has been simplified and made quicker ahead of the cricket World Cup with the applicants being allowed to digitally upload their documents before visiting a visa office.
“The new system will substantially cut down the waiting time for applicants at visa application centres,” officials involved with the process said.
Under the new system, which was introduced on Thursday, an applicant only has to carry his or her passport to the visa office and submit biometric data. All documents are to be digitally uploaded before the visit.
The new system has been developed by UK Visas and Immigration and VFS Global, the outsourcing and technology services agency for governments and diplomatic missions.
“UK visa applicants can digitally upload documents prior to visiting the visa application centre and walk in with their passport. The documents sent online will be verified before the applicant’s visit to the office. This will save them waiting time and the hassle of carrying important documents,” a VFS Global official said.
“Once the visa is granted, it will be issued physically to the applicant and not be sent online,” the official said.
The new norms, he said, will help visitors from India ahead of the cricket World Cup, which starts on May 30 and continues till July 14.
Ekbalpore businessman Sk Saiful Alam, who has visited the UK, called the earlier process to get a visa tedious.
“I had to wait for nearly two hours at the visa application centre for the documents to be scanned and verified,” said Alam, who will apply for a fresh visa to catch the World Cup action.
According to tour operators, about 10,000 people from Calcutta visit the UK during the summer vacation. They are expecting the cricket fever to push up the number by at least 10 per cent this year.
“In the peak season it takes about three weeks to get a UK visa.... We are expecting the process to become faster because of the new system,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman, east, Travel Agents Federation of India.
Thai visa norm
VFS Global officials said the process to get a visa on arrival in Thailand has also been simplified. Applicants can send their applications online to the Thai authorities for e-visa on arrival.