December 19 2007 - UK Visit Visas to be cut from 6 to 3 months
A consultation paper has been published by the The United Kingdom's Immigration and Borders Agency that proposes to cut the validity period of British visit visas from 6 to 3 months. The paper include requirements that cash £1,000 "visa bonds" must be posted by families to ensure relatives leave when their visas expire.
It also proposes to introduce special occasion visas for events, such as the London Olympics in 2012.
The use of visit visas for business travellers will cease and it will introduce a new class of visa for that purpose. This is to prevent business executives obtained permits as a back-door to work rather than obtaining more expensive or difficult visas.
23% of all visitors to the UK last year, about 1.7 million people, entered to conduct business
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government has already announced several recent policy changes that add to restrictions in preparation for the introduction of the new points-based, "Tier" system to start in March, 2008. The objective is to tightening the entire visa system.
It has been described by Immigration Minister Liam Byrne as the "biggest shake-up of the immigration system in history.
" The "visa bond" for family outside the EU is intended to target those who deliberately overstay or work illegally in the UK and is not a new idea. In 2000, a similar program was proposed, but it was shelved after protest from immigrant communities.
However applications for visas have gone up by about 50% over the past five years, with more than 2 million issued in 2006. So there needs to be some accountability introduced to make the system work Mr. Byrne, in an e-mailed statement from London said. "Our aim is to make the system both more secure, but also to ensure that we maintain the U.K.'s position as a destination of choice for tourists." And so our "Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out,"
Specific visa for athletes competing in sporting events such as the London 2012 Olympics is also planned, together with a "specialist" visa to encourage artists, performers and movie-makers into the country.
2006 figures show that, 12.9 million travellers entered the UK from outside the EU/EEA, 58% as tourists or business visitors. They contribute £85 billion ($171 billion) a year to the tourist industry. (Home Office statistics)
Group travel to the UK is to be encouraged, so the government is now suggesting the introduction of a specific tourist visa, which could be time-limited and competitively priced. To encourage foreign visitors for sporting and cultural events, another new form of visa will also be created. Such visas would be tied specifically to special events.
While these proposals have not been committed in total they have already been attacked as unfair and impractical by campaigners and politicians.
Objections raised include, consideration for families that are having weddings is being used as an example of how the visa bond policy could be quite unfair. Large families from the lower economic sector would fine this prohibitive. One example was for a family of 50 guests that would be forced to post £50,000 bond just for 50 guests.
Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), stated "It will create hardship for families. This means that only people with fat wallets will be able to bring their families."
He added that even reducing the length of the tourist visa would make it even less "cost effective" for relatives to visit.
The proposals have now gone to consultation for public comments until March 10th of next year. Subsequently the government is expected to issue its final proposals within 90 days. Similar measures had been considered in 2000, but were shelved after protests from immigrant communities.
Further detailed information can be obtained from AmblerCollins consultants
info@amblercollins.com
