New pilot 2 year visit visa offer for Chinese Nationals

27 Jan 2016

The UK Government  launched its new pilot two year visit visa offer for Chinese nationals on 11 January 2016.

Under the pilot scheme, Chinese customers applying in Mainland China for a six month standard visit visa will be eligible for a two year multiple entry visit visa at the same price of £85.

It will offer significantly better value in both cost and convenience and give customers greater flexibility when planning their travel to the UK.

The application process on gov.uk remains unchanged but below is some guidance for those wishing to take advantage of this new offer:

1. Do not rush to apply immediately following the 11 January – you must be planning to travel to the UK within the next three months.

2. You must apply online using the gov.uk website.

3. The pilot will begin at 00:01 (Beijing time) on Monday, 11 January. Those who apply and pay for a standard visit visa prior to this date will not be eligible for the new offer.

4. Initially, customers will still have to apply and pay for a six month standard visitor visa costing £85. However, they will automatically be considered for the new pilot two year visa. They should not click on the existing two year standard visitor visa option when they apply as they will be charged the higher fee of £324.

5. Successful applicants whose passport expires before their two year visit visa can still use it to visit the UK. They must ensure they travel with both their current passport and expired passport which contains the valid UK visa.

6. The pilot scheme is open to any citizen of the People’s Republic of China who holds any type of Chinese passport and applies for a standard visit visa in Mainland China, except where the application is for the following purposes:

• Private medical treatment

• To donate an organ 

• As an academic

• The Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme

It also does not apply to applications in the following visit categories: Marriage/Civil Partnership visit, Permitted Paid Engagements visit, Transit visit.

Above Information from

 http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/china/

Further Information can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-home-office-launches-new-two-year-chinese-visa-pilot

If you have any questions regarding this new pilot visit visa offer, or are concerned about your application through BPA, please do not hesitate to contact us.