Chinese Nationals Encouraged to Visit UK for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year in London is one of the most spectacular celebrations in the West with over 300,000 people taking part in the celebrations across London last year. This year, the Year of the Horse, Chinese New Year falls on 31 January and celebrations will take place on 2 February with activities taking place in Chinatown, Leicester Square, Shaftesbury Avenue and Trafalgar Square.

The Home Office are encouraging visitors from China to come to the UK and participate in the celebrations. They have been encouraged to make their visa applications now if they wish to visit the UK to take part in the Chinese celebrations. It is expected that there will be an increase in the number of visa applications submitted in January 2014 and the Home Office have put provisions in place to make applying for a visa easier.

UK Visitor Visa Applications for Chinese Tourists

If you are planning on visiting the UK, you must be at least 18 years old, plan on visiting for a maximum of 6 months and you must be able to show that you have enough money to support your stay in the UK and be able to accommodate yourself.

Home Office: Processing Visa Applications & UK Visa Priority Service

The Home Office have released information on their website, stating that they aim to process 90% of visit visas within 15 working days with some applications processed within 7 days. They have also stated that in 2013, 96% of visit visa applications from Chinese nationals were successful.

Chinese nationals who are applying for a general visitor visa and have evidence of compliant travel to the UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or Schengen Countries within the last 5 years can take advantage of the Home Office’s Priority scheme. This a popular service which allows Chinese applicants to have their applications processed within 3-5 working days.

Successful UK Visitor Visa Applications for Chinese Nationals

The Office for National Statistics released figures last month revealing that 1.9 million visitor visas were issued in the year ending September 2013, 15% more (+256,367) than the previous year. Statistics show that from these figures, there was an increase seen in visitor visas issued to Chinese tourists (+80,755).

Our team of experienced and professionally qualified immigration solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process of making visa applications to the UK step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of law.

Contact us so that we can review your case and provide you with an assessment.

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