Britain changes China visa rules to benefit economy

The British government is looking to encourage more high-spending Chinese tourists to visit the UK by introducing a two-year multiple-entry visa, which it claims will bring “significant benefits” to the UK economy.

The changes to the visa rules were announced during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and are part of the government’s plans to strengthen UK-China relations, which both countries are describing as the start of a “golden era” of relations.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “China is becoming one of our fastest-growing tourism markets so making it easier and more convenient for Chinese visitors to come to the UK is extremely important. That is why the announcement is great news for our tourism industry and great news for the British economy enabling us to maximise Chinese spending power even further.

“It will mean that the UK has the best offer in Europe for Chinese tourists and will build on our already strong people to people links, strengthening UK-China relations further.”

Currently, Chinese visitors are issued with a six-month tourist visa at a cost of 85 pounds, under the new scheme from January 2016, this will be extended to two-years allowing multiple visits at no extra cost and no additional paperwork. In addition, the government also confirmed that it has plans for a new 10-year multi-entry visa as part of its wider migration dialogue between the UK and China.

Chinese visa extensions to benefit UK economy

According to the government, Chinese tourists currently contribute 500 million pounds annually to the UK economy. With VisitBritain stating that the UK is currently witnessing record numbers of Chinese visitors, up 35 percent between April and June this year, compared to the same period in 2014, with most coming for the retail opportunities.

Overall, visit visas to Chinese nationals have almost trebled over the last five years from 115,000 in 2009 to 336,000 in 2014, with spending increased by 326 percent. With every Chinese visitor spending on average 2,688 pounds every time they visit, the extension of the visitor visa will enable them to maximise their spending power even further.

Richard Dickinson, chairman of the UK-China Visa Alliance added: “Prioritising longer lasting visas is a significant step forward in the campaign to encourage more Chinese visitors to the UK. It’s great value and reduces the need to apply for a new visa for every trip. We warmly welcome this initiative.”

Earlier this year, the government announced a pilot scheme to further streamline visa application processes for Chinese visitors by allowing tourists and business travellers to apply for British and European visas in one single process.