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Why the UK visa service is the best in India
Remarks by Sir James Bevan KCMG, UK High Commissioner in Mumbai, 12 March 2014.
Success rate
Many Indians I meet think that getting a UK visa is hard, and that most who apply get refused. Wrong. On the contrary, nine out of ten Indians who apply for a UK visa get one. People think that we don’t issue very many visas. Wrong. We issue more visas to Indians than to any other nationality in the world: over 400, 000 in 2013. People think we are issuing fewer visas than in the past. Wrong again: we issued 5% more visas to Indians in 2013 than in 2012 – more visas for visitors, whose numbers rose by about 10% last year, more visas for workers, and more visas for dependents. If you are a legitimate traveller, you will get your visa.
Speed
Many people tell me that it takes weeks to get a UK visa. Wrong. It takes on average only eight days from the time an Indian applies for a UK visa until we issue it. We have faster services available for those in a rush. And if you really need your visa fast, we have introduced a new same-day visa service. India is the first country in the world where we have offered this.
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