Home Secretary announces further improvements to theUK visa system

　　内政大臣宣布英国签证体系进一步改进措施

　　The Home Secretary last week announced furthermeasures to improve the UK’s visa service, which will help the UK to stay aheadin a competitive marketplace. Further moves to streamline visa processeswith Schengen in China, and a package of changes to the transit visa systemlook set to increase the number of high value foreign nationals visiting andtransiting through the UK. A summary of the announcements is as follows:

　　内政大臣于上周宣布了进一步改进英国签证服务的措施。这些措施将帮助英国在竞争激烈的市场中处于领先地位。将进一步在中国统一英国和申根签证流程，并将推出一系列针对过境签证体系的变更以增加赴英访问以及经英国中转的高价值外国公民数量。该公告摘要如下：

　　Changes to thetransit regime:

　　过境签证制度变更：

　　In the coming months a package of measures will be introduced that will make it easier for more passengers to transit airside through the UK without a visa.

　　在接下来几个月里，将推出一系列变更措施，无需签证便可在英国机场过境，从而使更多旅客在英国转机更为简便。

　　These changes will allow more people to use an exemption document, such as a valid US visa, to transit through the UK rather than having to obtain a UK transit visa.

　　这些变更将允许更多的人使用免签材料，比如有效的美国签证，从英国过境，而不需要英国过境签证。

　　Up to 6 million holders of Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and US visas from China alone could benefit from this change and use the UK to transit visa-free.

　　仅在中国，就有600万澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰和美国签证持有者可以获益于该变更措施并且通过英国免签证过境。

　　Irish biometric visas will also be added to the list of exemption documents which can be used for transit, and on a trial basis, the Schengen Approved Destination Status scheme visa will be added, thus allowing around 210,000 Chinese travellers a year travelling to the Schengen area on that visa to do so, via the UK, without an additional UK visa.

　　爱尔兰生物特征签证也将被纳入免签材料清单。此外，还将试运行将申根ADS签证纳入免签材料，此举每年将允许大约21万持该签证前往申根地区的中国旅客从英国过境而不用另行申请英国签证。

　　The airside transit visa fee will be reduced to ?30, making us cheaper for transit than any of our EEA counterparts.

　　机场过境签证费用将下调至30英镑，使英国过境签证费用低于任何欧洲经济区国家。

　　Further streamlining with Schengen

　　进一步与申根签证统一

　　We are taking steps to further align the process ofapplying for a UK visa with the Schengen visa process in China through thedevelopment of a “single Visa Application Centre visit” concept. This wouldenable customers who visit a UK application centre to submit both UK andSchengen visa applications at the same time. Customers will then receive theirdecisions back by courier avoiding the need to return to the applicationcentre.

　　我们正在采取措施通过发展“一站式签证申请中心”理念进一步在中国统一英国和申根签证申请流程。该措施将允许前往英国签证申请中心的客户同时递交英国和申根签证申请。客户之后将通过邮寄的方式领取签证申请决定，而不需要返回申请中心。

　　This will require the support of the Chinesegovernment, the European Commission and the relevant Member State so it is acomplicated process, but we are moving towards a solution.

　　该举措需要中国政府，欧盟委员会以及相关成员国的支持，因而过程复杂。但是我们正朝解决方案迈进。

　　We have designed a technical process to do this andare in advanced talks with the authorities in China to secure the necessarypermissions, and European partners to encourage their participation in thisinnovative scheme.

　　我们为此设计了一套技术流程，并且正与中方权威机构进行进一步磋商以获取必要许可；并与欧洲合作伙伴进一步商谈以鼓励他们加入此项创新方案。

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