LONDON, Dec. 12 (People's Daily Online) —— Research shows that the UK now receives more Chinese investment than any other EU countries and is also the fourth most popular destination for Chinese investment worldwide. A new visa scheme launched by UK Visas & Immigration ‘Select Business Scheme UK’ (SBS UK) will greatly simplify the process for inviting Chinese business partners to the UK.

SBS UK is available to members of China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) and the British Chamber of Commerce in China (BCCC), and is also offered to members of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and companies referred by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). It dramatically simplifies the business visa application process by allowing representatives of Chinese businesses to provide just three documents when applying for a visa: an application form, an invitation letter and a letter of employment. 

Lord Sassoon, chairman of CBBC, explained: “Securing a visa can be a concern for Chinese companies. I wholeheartedly welcome the Select Business Scheme UK, which will streamline the process for those companies, and I very much hope that CBBC’s members will take advantage of the service to strengthen links between Chinese and British companies.”

Membership of the scheme is free to CBBC/BCCC members, but they will need to sign up. The scheme applies to business visas only and will not cover Tourist or other visa types.