LONDON: The Indian community here has welcomed the relaxation of visa rules for people Indian origin willing to stay in India continuously or visiting to see relatives or for a holiday.

The new visa rules, effective from Tuesday for nearly one million British passport holders of Indian origin, mainly from Punjab and Gujrant, provide for a long term visa for five years with multiple entry facility.

High commissioner Kuldip Nayar, who announced the new visa rules at a press conference here, said a team of home ministry officials visiting Britain this week would examine his proposal for abolition of visa for short visits of 15-20 days to India by the people of Indian origin. Nayar, soon after his appointment as high commissioner to Britain two months back, had promised to relax and restructure visa rules.

He announced abolition of visa fee for people above 65 and hoped that the unilateral steps taken by India to rationalize visa rules would be reciprocated by U.K.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 11, 1990