UK open for business to brightest and best from China

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The Immigration Minister Mark Harper highlighted the importance of the U.K.'s relationship with China at an event organised by the Cambridge China Development Trust, on July 17, 2013.

Continued growth in visitor numbers

The minister joined by his colleagues welcomed the continued growth in visitors from China, including 80,000 Chinese who chose to come to study in the U.K. in 2011 and 2012 - the largest single group of international students in the country.

Around 30 top Chinese CEOs and managers gathered at the event to hear about the attractive offer the U.K. has for Chinese investors, business people and skilled workers, and in particular how the Home Office is supporting key Chinese businesses through the visa application process.

"The U.K. is open for business and we continue to see growth in the number of Chinese nationals applying for a visa," said Harper. "We have made significant improvements to the visa services in the past year and we will continue to make improvements to give customers the best service.Last year we processed almost 300,000 visa applications and 96% were successful."

Improvements to visa system

The Home Office has already introduced a number of new services, in China, in response to feedback from customers, including;

• the option for key businesses to complete the biometric enrollment part of applications for their staff from within their own offices – a significant service development that has facilitated the investment of nearly £2bn in the U.K.

• ten year visas

• a dedicated "business network" of staff to support Chinese customers

• a ‘passport pass-back' scheme, allowing customers to keep their passport while their visa is processed, meaning that they can travel, or apply for another visa at the same time

• extended hours to meet the needs of our customers