The British Embassy in Beijing held a very useful workshop on UK visa applications yesterday at the UK Visa Application Centre in Beijing.
There are a number of different visa routes available to enter the UK for business and work purposes, including business visit visas, long-term visit visas, the Points-Based System including visas for highly skilled workers, intra-company transfers, investors and entrepreneurs.
Detailed guidance on each visa route is available on the UK Border Agency website at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas.
When submitting a UK visa application, applicants should be aware of the following:
• Applications are only accepted in English (translated guidance available online)
• Applicants are responsible for proving that they meet the rules/points of their application (checklist
available online)
• If you submit a forged document or lie on the application form, you will be refused and banned from
making any further application for 10 years.
• The UKBA has set the target of processing non-settlement applications in 15 working days.
The UKBA also operates the Business Fast Track (BFT) scheme in China.
The BFT scheme is currently free to join, and members enjoy a priority service. Visa applications for BFT members are normally returned in three to five working days.
Business visit visa applications sponsored by a BFT member require minimal paperwork whilst long-term business visit visas of up to five years are available without the need for the applicant to have previously travelled to the UK.
BFT members can submit their application at any of the UKBA's Visa Application Centres across China.
To join the Business Fast Track scheme, your company must:
1. Have sent 10 people to the UK in the previous 12 months
2. And must be either:
• a UK company with a presence in China
• a multi-national company
• a Chinese company which is an investor in the UK
• a university which is partnered with a UK university, OR
• be recommended for membership by the British Chamber of Commerce,
China-Britain Business Council, Confederation of British Industry or UK Trade & Investment.
For more details of how to join the scheme and an application pack, please email:
businessfasttrack.beijing@fco.gov.uk
Applicants for UK visas should also be aware that applications during the May-August period will take longer to process than during the rest of the year as this is the busiest time for the UKBA.
Applicants should always submit their applications in plenty of time, especially in the summer.
For full details on each visa route, please visit the UK Border Agency’s website here.