UK to upgrade its services for Chinese citizens

To cater to the rising number of Chinese visitors to the United Kingdom, the country will launch new services and expand the scope of services within the parameters of its immigration laws, according to an official from UK Visa and Immigration.

"The relationship between the UK and China is strengthening all the time, and we are trying to attract more Chinese visitors to the UK for the purposes of business, tourism and education," said Dominique Hardy, UK Visa and Immigration's regional manager for China. "To support those aspirations, it's important for us to ensure that visa services and choices are available to our customers in China."

The UK Home Office recently announced a number of improvements to the visa system in China, including a 24-hour visa service in three first-tier cities, the expansion of mobile biometrics, a passport pass-back service, and a new service that allows customers to apply for visas for the UK and the Schengen Area simultaneously.