The Visas and Immigration Department of the UK (UKVI) is
proposing to launch a latest preferred agency program in India as
early as March 2016, with the objective to ease and simplify the
process of visa applications for travel agents and their customers.
The UK immigration Minister, James Brokenshire believes that the
latest scheme would allow the UKVI to work more closely with the
legitimate agents who would be responsible for verifying the
visa applications.
The UKVI is piloting the scheme with about 50 Indian travel
agents in an effort to test the scheme and is also exploring steps
to include more agents. It will impart training to the agents
so that they can verify the applicants and ensure that the
applications being submitted are genuine, thereby ensuring that the
overall process is simple and transparent. The qualified and
trained travel agents would be provided a designated contact at the
UKVI for facilitating the visa processes. UKVI is estimating that
