Immigration to the UK is estimated to have seen a net increase of 685,000 last year
UK visa
Latest in UK visa
Electronic Travel Authorisation
Saudi Arabia and UK announce launch of ‘ETA visa waiver’
Saudi Arabia and UK announce major change to travel rules with opening of electronic travel authorisation applications
Bahrain
UK to scrap pre-entry visa requirements for UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain from February 22, Qatar already exempt
UK plans to introduce electronic travel authorisation for UAE, Saudi and other Gulf citizens from February 22
Immigration
UK government reviews graduate route visa for international students
Since the commencement of the graduate route visa, 42% of the 176,000 students granted the visa were Indian nationals
UK visa
VFS Global to provide UK visa and passport services in over 142 countries in 2024
VFS Global is estimated to manage around 3.8 million UK visa and passport applications per year under the new contract
Bahrain
Revealed: Gulf tourists spend 200% more than other visitors to UK
Gulf nationals contribute almost $1.2 billion to UK economy so far in 2023, largely driven by tourist and visitor spending
customer experience
UAE, Saudi Arabia visa-free travel to the UK: Everything you need to know
Last year, the UK welcomed nearly 800,000 visitors from the Gulf region and these numbers are expected to rise in the coming years
civil penalties
UK immigration health surcharge to see massive increase from January 2024
This comes after recent fee increases on work, visit, family, settlement, citizenship, and student visas
tourist visa fees
New visa, nationality fees comes into effect from Wednesday
Here are the new visa fees as per the official UK government website
civil penalties
UK announces major hike in visa fees, new penalties for illegal working
The changes for UK visa application fees, illegal working fines are expected to take effect during autumn 2023
Al Maktoum International
Eid Al Adha 2023 date; major UAE visa changes; ‘Silent Killer’ in Dubai; tax rules announced – 10 things you missed this week
Eid Al Adha dates, UAE visa changes, UK visit rules, Dubai ‘silent killer’, tax rules announced and more of the top stories this week
biometric data
UK eases travel rules for GCC visitors
Qatari visitors will be the first to be able to apply for an ETA in October 2023, ahead of the rest of the GCC states and Jordan
Abu Dhabi
UAE visa: New Schengen rules for residents, visit visa overhaul, everything you need to know
Recent changes have been announced in how visas to visit the UAE can be obtained, and a change in the application process for a Schengen visa
Heathrow Airport
UK visa: UAE residents can now receive British visa in just 15 days
Following an earlier processing time of over 7 weeks, residents are relieved as the UK visa process time is slashed
Covid restrictions
Saudi Arabia reopens visa on arrival for travellers who have valid UK, US, or Schengen visas
Citizens of any country who hold one of the three visas, and who are travelling on one of the country’s national carriers – Saudi, Flynas, or Flyadeal – can now receive a 12-month tourism visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia without needing to apply in advance