Britain to ease visa system to attract rich Chinese visitors, reveals George Osborne.

[dipsydoodle]

George Osborne has bowed to pressure from businesses and agreed to bring in a joint visa application for the UK and other European countries to help lure wealthy Chinese visitors.

For the first time Chinese applicants will be able to submit just one form covering them for both Britain and the EU Schengen agreement countries through selected travel agents.

Speaking to students in Beijing today, the Chancellor said he wanted to “make it clear to the whole of China” that there is no limit to the number of Chinese tourists and students who can come to Britain.

He said his visit to the Far East is about “much more than a collection of business deals”.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-to-ease-visa-system-to-attract-rich-chinese-visitors-reveals-george-osborne-8877716.html

Good - must confess I've never come across a Chinese student who didn't apply themselves diligently. That's both here in the UK and Cuba too where they do a state paid 5 year course learning Spanish.

[Jeneral2885]

1. I'm not racist

It's not easy to learn another language, and some Brits are increasingly learning Mandarin too. Besides, Hong Kong (thought not Mandarin speaking) was once a British colony.

The problem of course is what do you mean by "easier visa rules"? Does it apply to all Chinese?

[dipsydoodle]

2. Seems too

with respect to tourist visas and student visas.

[Nihil]

3. No problem with it for those specific categories ...

> there is no limit to the number of Chinese tourists and students who can come to Britain.

I do however have a problem with the increasing numbers of Chinese who are coming
to Britain to work, to buy houses and to settle down.

Educational visits & tourism is the extent to which the door should be opened but I bet this
bunch of cretins will give in to their paymasters again and just leave it as wide open as it
has been for the Eastern Europeans ...

[Jeneral2885]

4. Other countries do that too

Singapore has eased the rules for foreigners (Brits) to work in the country. Exactly how many doors do you want to shut?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Singapore has a very strange demographic structure

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html

Total fertility rate 0.79 - 224th in the world (out of 224)
net migration rate 15.08/1000: 5th in the world (out of 222)

They need a high rate of immigration to keep a population going. And they have an unemployment rate of just 2% - a quarter of ours.

It is worth deciding how much more housing you want built in the UK, and the rest of the infrastructure that would be needed for a population expanding faster than at present, and if we think we will be able to create the industries necessary to maintain them.

[Nihil]

6. Other countries can do whatever they want. My concern is with the UK.

> Singapore has eased the rules for foreigners (Brits) to work in the country.

If they want more people in, let them open the doors wide.
If they want fewer, let them close whatever doors they wish.
It's their country.

> Exactly how many doors do you want to shut?

Exactly as many as it takes to maintain my view stated previously:
>> No problem with it for those specific categories (education & tourism)
>> I do however have a problem with the increasing numbers of Chinese who are coming
>> to Britain to work, to buy houses and to settle down.
>>
>> Educational visits & tourism is the extent to which the door should be opened

Did you have a problem understanding it first time?

[LeftishBrit]

7. Not into shutting doors for the sake of it...

and at present Chinese visitors and immigrants and students are making a great contribution to the country.

However, abolition of all immigration restrictions from a country with 1.3 billion people to a country with 60 million would, let's say, have the potential for problems.

I doubt that this is what's being considered in any case.