Uk Visa

UK to start ETA for non-visa travellers in 2025: What this means for you

The UK Home Office has introduced the ETA scheme, which operates similarly to the US ESTA system

UK drops Rs 41 lakh minimum income rule for Family Visa, relief for Indians

The planned hike had raised concerns among analysts about its potential impact on lower-income families

Advantage for Indians? UK may soon face skilled worker shortage in key jobs

In contrast, the US, China, India, Germany, and Brazil have robust talent networks across all sectors analysed by Hays

UK elections: Will Starmer's reign give Indian students a reason to cheer?

With Keir Starmer as the new Prime Minister, do international students, particularly from India, have a reason to cheer? Experts answer

How UK migration curbs could shrink workforce, limit economic growth

Migration curbs could further shrink the workforce, increasing wage and price pressures and limiting economic growth

UK PM Rishi Sunak plans to cap work and family visas annually: Details here

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged that a new Conservative government would cut the number of available visas each year

Impact of UK visa rules on caregivers: Stranded Indian workers seek help

"The British people deserve an immigration system that puts their interests first", said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly

Studying in the UK costs Rs 30-40 lakh/year: Key factors to consider

Study abroad: With rising tuition fees, living expenses, and unpredictable currency fluctuations, managing your finances effectively is crucial

Living, tuition, food: Cost breakdown for Indians planning to study in UK

Studying in the UK comes with a significant financial cost

UK universities risk closure due to curbs on international students: Report

UK Migration Advisory Committee found a dramatic 63% drop in postgraduate student registrations for the upcoming academic year

UK's Graduate Route Visa to continue: Key benefits for Indian students

The UK Migration Advisory Committee has recommended keeping the graduate route work visa, also known as the post-study work (PSW) visa, in its current form

Impact of UK visa changes: 80% drop in dependents accompanying students

The UK said, "this does not mark the end of the road in our plan to cut migration, there is more still to come"

69% Indians prefer US for higher education over UK, Canada, shows survey

Parents/guardians are the biggest influencers in shaping the decision to pursue education abroad among Indian students

UK Family Visa's $36,397 cap now applies to all, including Indian descents

UK Family Visa: We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people," said British govt

Higher income threshold regime to apply for UK Family Visa comes into force

The minimum income required for British citizens and residents, including those of Indian heritage, wanting to sponsor their relatives on a Family Visa increased by over 55 per cent from Thursday, as the incremental increase in salary thresholds announced by the government last year are enforced. Starting Thursday, for someone to be sponsored to come to the UK on a Family Visa, they must have a minimum annual salary of GBP 29,000, up from GBP 18,600. By early next year, this will have increased two more times to match the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold of GBP 38,700. The UK Home Office said it marks the final measure in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly's package to reduce legal migration and ensure those arriving here do not burden the taxpayer. We have reached a tipping point with mass migration. There is no simple solution or easy decision which cuts numbers to levels acceptable to the British people, said Cleverly. I promised action and we have

UK extends visa scheme for war-hit Ukrainians; allows extra 18 months stay

The UK government on Sunday extended its visa scheme for war-hit Ukrainians who sought refuge in the country in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, allowing an additional 18-month stay on their current terms. The Home Office said that from early 2025, all those in the UK under one of the Ukraine visa schemes will be able to apply to stay here for an additional 18 months and continue to have the same rights to access work, benefits, healthcare, and education throughout their stay. This will mean those who came on the first visas under one of the Ukraine visa schemes could now stay in the UK until September 2026. This new visa extension scheme provides certainty and reassurance for Ukrainians in the UK on their future as this war continues, and we will continue to provide a safe haven for those fleeing the conflict, said Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border. Almost two years on from the start of this brutal war, over 200,000 Ukrainians and their family .

After jail term, Hong Kong pro-independence activist seeks asylum in UK

An activist who advocated for Hong Kong independence and was jailed under a sweeping national security law fled to Britain to seek political asylum, according to his social media posts Friday. Tony Chung was among the first convicted under the Beijing-imposed law that was introduced after the 2019 pro-democracy protests. He was found guilty of secession and money laundering in 2020 and sentenced to 43 months in prison. In two Instagram posts Friday, Chung detailed how authorities closely watched him after he was released from prison: He was asked to meet with national security authorities regularly and report to them on where he had been, whom he had met with and his conversations, and authorities offered to pay him for information on others to prove he had reformed himself. They also proposed he go to mainland China. Chung said he was made to sign a document that barred him from disclosing his conversations with the authorities, so he could not seek help from any lawyers nor tell .

UK cautioned against 'unfair' visa crackdown on Indian workers, students

Groups representing skilled professionals and students from India on Tuesday expressed concerns over a lack of clarity around the UK government's latest visa crackdown, branding the ban on family dependents as unfair. UK Home Secretary James Cleverly tabled a five-point plan in Parliament on Monday that would see overseas care workers banned from bringing family members and skilled professionals having to meet a much higher minimum salary threshold of GBP 38,700. While the Health and Care visa will be exempt from this hiked salary requirement, it remains unclear how the category would operate for Indian medics in future. We will be writing to the Home Secretary urgently to seek clarification; we hope that this does not include doctors and nurses because if it does, we can assure the Home Office that the number of doctors and nurses coming to UK from India will be nil, said Dr Ramesh Mehta, founder of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) the UK's largest ..

UK tables visa rules for foreign workers, clampdown on bringing families

The UK government on Monday tabled a tough new set of measures to bring down the country's immigration numbers, including a much higher salary threshold for foreign workers to access skilled visas and a clampdown on bringing family members as their dependants. UK Home Secretary James Cleverly delivered a statement in the House of Commons to reveal that under the crackdown, which will also impact Indians, medics on Health and Care visas will no longer be able to bring any family members with them. For those applying under other skilled worker visa routes, the salary threshold for an application will rise from the current GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700. The same salary amount will apply to those applying under the family visa category, which currently stands at GBP 18,600. "Immigration policy must be fair, consistent, legal, and sustainable," Cleverly told the Parliament. In total, this package plus our reduction in student dependants will mean around 300,000 fewer people will come in fut

UK visa fee hike for visitors, students to be effective from Oct 4

The British government has announced that a proposed hike in visa fees will become effective from October 4, when a visit visa for under six months will cost GBP 15 more and student visas will be GBP 127 more expensive for travellers from around the world, including Indians. Following legislation tabled in Parliament on Friday, the UK Home Office said the changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months will rise to GBP 115 and the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise to GBP 490 to equal the amount charged for in-country applications. It comes after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had announced in July that the fees and health surcharge paid towards the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) by visa applicants are set to rise significantly to meet the country's public sector wage increase. We are going to increase the charges that we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and indeed ...