The UK Home Office on 16 October published a revised edition of its guidance ‘India: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa’, adding new authorised centres in Coimbatore, New Delhi and Noida and updating addresses for existing providers in Chennai and Lucknow. Anyone applying for a UK visa of more than six months’ duration must obtain a TB clearance certificate from an approved clinic. The update follows a series of fee and address changes across India in recent months and reflects rising demand for work and study visas under schemes such as the India-UK Young Professionals Scheme. By expanding capacity in the National Capital Region and Tamil Nadu, the Home Office aims to cut appointment backlogs that have stretched to four weeks in peak season. For HR teams processing Tier 2 Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility visas, the key action point is to circulate the new clinic list immediately: certificates from non-approved hospitals will be rejected, delaying visa issuance. The updated guidance also reminds applicants that chest-x-ray results are valid for six months only, meaning tests taken now will lapse before the January intake if travel is postponed. British universities and Indian education agents welcomed the additions, noting that students in Coimbatore previously had to travel to Chennai or Bengaluru. Travel medicine providers, meanwhile, expect increased traffic and have begun offering bundled packages that include UK-specific chest radiography and general health checks.
Source: UK Home Office (GOV.UK)
