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UK visa centre
likely to be set up in Punjab: Byrne
WSN
Network
Chandigarh: The
United Kingdom on Tuesday offered to open a Visa Centre in Punjab in
order to check the growing trend of illegal immigration from the
state and facilitate the Punjabis to immigrate U.K. legally.
The UK Minister of
State for Home Office Liam Byrne made the offer during his meeting
with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here on Tuesday, a
Punjab Government spokesman said. The visiting U.K. Minister said
that his Government would initially open a visa centre either at
Chandigarh or Jalandhar, which later on would be converted into a
full- fledged Consulate.
He also evinced keen
interest to extend cooperation to the Punjab government in upgrading
technical skills and knowledge through Experts' and Teachers'
exchange programmes in the sphere of primary & secondary education
with a special focus on the student exchange programme to acquaint
the students of India and U.K with one another's cultural and social
background.
Appreciating the
initiative of Byrne for opening a visa centre in Punjab, Badal said
that it would prove to be a milestone in strengthening the bonding
between the Punjabis here and their brethren settled in U.K.
Punjabis had a strong presence in U.K besides Canada, the U.S. and
Italy. Canadian and Italian governments had already setup a
Consulate and a Visa centre at Chandigarh.
6 February 2008
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