I was supposed to welcome a scientist originally from India and currently working in Switzerland. He had travelled to the UK in the past and obtained his visa in a couple of days. However, as of 01.09.2010, the visa applications are sent to Paris and the sticker Visa is issued from there (earlier they used to be issued from Geneva) and as such it takes a minimum of 2 weeks.
And, after 2 weeks, the visa was rejected. He had included all the details requested. The trip was paid entirely by his host laboratory in Switzerland. The UK Border Agency had my phone number and e-mail and could have checked in 1 minute that this was a genuine scientific collaboration. Instead they took the decision to prevent a fully funded and highly skilled scientist to come in. Is that for the good of the UK competitiveness?
Earlier we had this, and this.
What a nonsense; it’s so frustrating when law dominates and doesn’t serve.
It ‘appears’ to metered out or interpreted in very ad-hoc ways.
Some friends of mine were part of a british-israeli-japanese-french project concerning the building of a new engine, one which could run on anything alcohol based and at a push urine(!). This was at Exeter University moons ago.
I don’t think that could have happened with inappropriate interpretation/use of current immigration policy.