| Deputy High Commission of the United Kingdom in Chennai | |
|---|---|
.svg) Coat of arms of the United Kingdom | |
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| Location |  |
| Address | 20, Anderson Road, Chennai 600 006 |
| Coordinates | 13°03′56″N80°14′57″E / 13.0656°N 80.2493°E /13.0656; 80.2493 |
| Deputy High Commissioner | Halima Holland (since November 2024) |
| Website | Official website |
TheBritish Deputy High Commission,Chennai is theUnited Kingdomdiplomatic mission with responsibility for the state ofTamil Nadu and the union territory ofPuducherry. It was formed in 1947 withSir Christopher Masterman,CSI, CIE, as its inaugural holder, who served as Deputy High Commissioner until the following year. The Deputy High Commissioner is equivalent to aConsul-General, and reports to theBritish High Commission.[1] The current Deputy High Commissioner is Halima Holland. The first female head of the Chennai mission, she succeeds Oliver Ballhatchet.
The consular section of the British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, is located at 20 Anderson Road,Nungambakkam. The British Council and the British Library are located at 737,Anna Salai.
The consular section of the British Deputy High Commission provides consular assistance and protection for British citizens. The Chennai consular region has Deputy High Commission office atHyderabad[2] and a Deputy High Commission office atBangalore,[3] functioning from 2009, for which visas are issued from the Deputy High Commission office at Chennai.[4] The visa application centres are located in Chennai,Hyderabad,Kochi andBangalore.[5][6]
Below is the list of deputy high commissioners of the British Deputy High Commission in Chennai (formerly Madras):[7]
In 2006, the Deputy High Commission at Chennai processed 11,224 visa applications, next only to the Mumbai Centre. The High Commissions atMumbai,New Delhi andKolkata processed 14,366, 6,688 and 1,328 applications, respectively.[12] In 2008, of the 336,000 student visas issued in India, around 20 per cent (67,000) were issued in Chennai.[13] Of late, thevisa rejection rate from the Deputy High Commission at Chennai has been increased.[14]
As part of the U.K. Border Agency's new guidelines, the Deputy High Commission started processing U.K. visa applications from the British High Commission inColombo,Sri Lanka, in a phased manner.[15][16] As of 2011, the U.K. Border Agency in Chennai processed most visa applications from Sri Lanka.[17][18]
In December 2013, the Deputy High Commission launched a pilot passport pass-back service, a user-pays service that enables applicants to retain their passport for the majority of the application processing period, for the first time in the country.[19]
TheBritish Council division of the Deputy High Commission is the United Kingdom's primary cultural relations organisation and is responsible for activities in education,English language, governance, science and the arts. The British Council office at Chennai covers the South Indian region. It plays an important role in helping Indian students pursue their studies in the United Kingdom.[20] The council also manages the British Library.[21] The British Council division publishes two magazines—Postgraduate U.K. andClub U.K., the latter meant for Indian students.[20]
According to 2004 U.K. government figures, of the 14,000 Indian students studying in the United Kingdom, 43 per cent hail from South India.[20]
In 2010, the British Council launched the British Council IELTS Scholarship Award with the objective of assisting Indian students to continue their postgraduate study at any university abroad.[22]
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1 Diplomatic posts only with no consular facilities. 2 Consular posts only with no diplomatic functions. 3 The United Kingdom and His Majesty's Government do not recognise or have formal bilateral intergovernmental, diplomatic or consular relations with the (generally unrecognised)Government of the Republic of China in Taipei. Functions in Taiwan as an accredited informal and unofficial representative post and a semi-official informal consular post. | |
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