Between February and December last year, the number of applications for entrepreneur visas rose by 1,520 per cent, resulting in a backlog of cases which reached a peak of 9,000 by March 2013.
These and other startling statistics were revealed in a recent report issued by John Vine, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.
The report also revealed that some of those who had applied to live and work in Britain under tier one of the points based system had to wait an average of 63 days for a decision on their applications, despite paying standard visa fees of more than £1,000.
The rapid increase in applications – and delays – occurred after closure of the scheme that allowed overseas graduates to apply for work when their studies had finished.
Visa applications to the UK are frequently the subject of rapidly changing political agendas, and unless handled by an expert can fall victim to unforeseen delays or even rejection.
