Indian High Commission in Britain imposed new rule

Friday, October 14, 2022

The UK based Indian High Commission has started putting into effect a new rule that requires the citizens of Britain to go to the visa centres in-person, causing wait times for the ones who are looking to travel to India.

Previously, visas were brought by the travel agents who was later processed in batches and resulted in quick turnarounds. The High Commission stated that the rule of in-person visa application was aimed at stopping travel agents from charging fees illegally to get visas processed for tourists traveling India.

Media reports explained that this rule enforcement has impacted the travel plans of British tourists visiting India. The delay in visa faced by British tourists is same to what Indians keen on traveling to Britain have been facing for long.

Alex Ellis, the UK High Commissioner to India, has apologized to Indians for the delay in visa and suggested them to buy airline tickets only after they secure their visas.

The Indian High Commission didn’t accept the claims that the visa rule change was unexpected, reiterating that individual visa applicants have been expected to apply in-person always at the mission’s outsourced VFS Global centres in London.

The co-founder and managing director of UK tour operator TransIndus, Amrit Singh, said that there were few visa companies who would enter without any prior appointment, with 20 or 30 passports. They were being processed. He added that one fine day, someone higher up understood that this is breaking the rules. So, a stop was installed.

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