Delays in UK visa applications and other immigration issues are having a negative effect on business between Britain and Russia.
This is according to BSR Russia, which has highlighted a number of occasions in which the hold-up in UK immigration requirements has led to officials and business people having to miss high profile events and conferences.
For example, in May this year a presentation by the Russian Special Economic Zones, offering fast-track business opportunities, was hampered by UK visa problems. In fact, only the deputy chief executive of the organisation received a visa, while all of the officer Russian government officials did not receive their paperwork in time for the event.
A British promoter of business with Russia, Albion, has written to the news source to state that “an increasing number of companies appear to be encountering problems inviting Russian business people to the UK”.
The firm noted that attempts to resolve the situation with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) have been largely unsatisfactory, and in fact the agency often went as far as to deny the existence of such a problem.
Albion observed that the UK visa issue flies in the face of the work being done by other parts of the British government to encourage trade between the two countries and is determined to work to ensure that the UKBA will sit up and take notice.