UK visa service was started in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh in India, on May 17. During the inauguration of the service, Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, said that they were extending their presence to UP in order to encourage more students, tourists and investors to come to Britain from India. Visiting UP, the most populous state in India, Asquith said that the UK was looking at ways of improving ties with this state. Asquith, welcoming the first batch of UK visa applicants, said that India had the largest number of visa application centres for Britain anywhere in the world. He said that this centre was opened as they had witnessed a rising demand from UP.
UKVI (UK Visa and Immigration) South and Southeast Asia regional director, Nick Crouch, said that the announcement for this new visa centre had been made earlier during the visit of UK Immigration Minister to India in February this year. The minister had also announced other improved services, such as a new application form for visitors and letting first-time travellers avail the priority visa service. Lucknow’s visa service would be available on the third Tuesday of every month. Meanwhile, Asquith had also met the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to explore how UP and the United Kingdom could work together more closely. This new visa service will help a lot of people from the state of UP who would want to travel to Britain for various reasons.