Make UK visa process easy and accessible to Nepalis business community: FNNCI Senior VP Dhakal

KATHMANDU: Senior Vice President of the Federation of the Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Chandra Prasad Dhakal on Tuesday asked the authorities concerned to make the visa process easy and accessible to Nepalis business community so as to expand bilateral trade and business relations.

Addressing a virtual interaction on UK Visas and Immigration organized by the FNCCI in collaboration with the British Embassy in Kathmandu, Department of International Trade of UK, UK Visas and Immigration, Senior VP Dhakal stressed the need of providing UK visas for Nepalis private sector from the British Embassy in Kathmandu.

"We are aware that the UK visa is not directly available from Nepal itself, and there might be many difficulties and issues faced by the visa applicants from Nepal.  I am confident that in today's session, both sides could openly discuss the issues, and find possible way-outs so as to make it easy and accessible for Nepalese applicants," he said.

Although Nepal and the UK share a long history of economic relations, bilateral trade and investment have not realized their full potential. As per the TEPC data, in 2020/21, Nepal’s export to the UK was only 1.7%, and import from the UK was barely 0.16% of the total export and import of Nepal, he said. 

Highlighting the two-century-old Nepal-UK bilateral relations, he said that the role played by the private sectors of the two countries was vital in building the relations stronger and cordial. 

Nepal and the UK have strong economic and business relations through private sector cooperation. In Nepal, the FNCCI is leading the Nepal-UK business cooperation in coordination with FNCCI's active bi-national chamber member "Nepal-Britain Chamber of Commerce and Industry."