Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
January 31, 2010 | British High Commission suspends issue of fresh visas in northern India | New Delhi: The British High Commission announced a temporary suspension in accepting visa applications from parts of north India due to an unprecedented spurt in student visa seekers from the region. The decision to freeze the issue
of fresh visas was taken after a dramatic rise in the number of applications between
October and December last year. The UK Border Agency, which enforces Britain 's
immigration and customs regulations, has instructed its visa-application centres
in New Delhi , Chandigarh and Jalandhar to stop accepting applications for student
visas from Monday (February 1). "From Monday, we will temporarily stop accepting
student's visa application under Tier 4 of the points based system at visa application
centres in New Delhi , Chandigarh and Jalandhar," said Chris Dix , Regional
Director,
UK Border Agency The three centres had received about 1,000 student-visa
applications
from October to December 2007. But the number increased to 1,800 within the
same
period in 2008 and climbed to 13,500 last year. "This is a response to an
unprecedented
rise in the number of applications we received under this part of points based
system. And it's taken in conjunction with concerns that we have about the quality
of some of those application," added Chris Dix . Visa application centres in western
and southern India will, however, continue their operations as usual. Genuine
students apply for the visas around June and July for the academic year that begins
in September. But the increase in application is for the period between October
and December, where some educational institutions take in students. It has been
found that many of these institutions are not genuine and work the system with
the promise of permanent residency in the UK . Last week alone, licenses of 60
institutions were cancelled. So far, 90 institutes got suspension orders. |
More Travel News Headlines
|
|
|
|
|