NEW TWO-YEAR CHINESE VISIT VISA LAUNCHED ON 11 JANUARY

The Home Office has announced that a new two-year visit visa for Chinese nationals will be launched on Monday, 11 January, 2016. The new visa will cost £85, the same as the existing six month visitor visa, and will enable successful applicants to make multiple trips to the United Kingdom.

The new Chinese visit visa will also:

 – Enable visitors to make multiple trips to the UK for a longer period.

 – Provide eligible Chinese customers with a better deal than the standard Schengen visitor visa, which is limited to a maximum 90 days.

The two-year visitor visa will be available for the purposes of tourism, business, to attend conferences or to investigate setting up a business.

The Home Office also said that it plans to extend the UK’s mobile fingerprinting service, which captures the biometrics needed for applications, from nine to 50 Chinese cities.

According to Immigration Minister James Brokenshire, the new visa will offer better value for money and more flexible travel for Chinese visitors and allow them to further take advantage of the opportunities the UK has to offer for both tourism and business purposes.

Reciprocal arrangements are also being introduced by the Chinese government for British citizens visiting China.