Proposed Uk Visit Visa Changes.

[the scouser]

The news reported by the BBC over the weekend has now been formally announced by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA):-

Proposals to strengthen visitor visas

18 December 2007

New proposals to ensure visitors to the UK comply with the conditions of their visa were announced by the Home Office in a consultation published today.

The consultation document seeks views on proposals which include:

people putting up a financial deposit to ensure any foreign national family members return home following their visit from overseas;

reducing the length of time a tourist can stay in the UK from six to three months;

creating a specific business and specialist visa; and

creating a specific visa for one-off events such as the Olympics.

The consultation was launched as the Government announced that over one million fingerprints have now been collected from overseas foreign nationals applying to come to the UK as part of its biometrics visas programme.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:

"Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out. By next Spring we'll check everyone’s fingerprints when they apply for a visa; now we’re proposing a financial guarantee as well – not for everyone, but where we think there’s a risk

"Our aim is to make the system both more secure, but also to ensure that we maintain the UK’s position as a destination of choice for tourists. In 2006, people from overseas spent £15.4 billion in the UK with the tourism industry employing 1.4 million people."

So far visa applicants in more than 120 countries worldwide are required to provide fingerprints if they want to visit the UK for work, study or tourism. Biometric checks have identified over 10,000 visa applicants who have previously been fingerprinted in the UK in connection with immigration cases or asylum applications.

From spring 2008 the aim is for the biometric programme to be extended to all visa applicants globally.

The visitor consultation proposals build on proposed new penalties on employers of illegal immigrants and a licensing system for any employer or college wishing to recruit from outside the EU. Together these form part of a series of changes the Border and Immigration Agency are introducing over the next 12 months including:

an Australian style points based system for managing migration;

a unified border force bringing together the Border and Immigration Agency, Customs and UK Visas providing a tougher, highly visible policing presence at Britain's ports and airports; and

compulsory ID cards for foreign nationals allowing us to know who is here and what they are entitled to.

Taken together, these measures are the biggest shake-up of the immigration system in its history. They will allow the UK to continue to reap the benefits of migration, while also preventing abuse of the system.

Also see the consultation paper.

Scouse.

[markr]

I think this is good news, people will complain about having to put up a deposit to visit the uk, but in all fairness if you cant afford the deposit, then you surely cant afford to take a holiday in the uk!

Mark

[Mosha]

Perhaps it should be extended to the asylum seekers.

[Mahout Angrit]

It'll be interesting to know what proof they will require and how they intend to return the deposit to the sponsor once the visitor has left UK bearing in mind that currently they do not check people returning.

[mrbojangles]

but in all fairness if you cant afford the deposit, then you surely cant afford to take a holiday in the uk!

I don't think those points neccessarily go hand-in-hand.

I go on holiday regularly and if there was a stipulation that i had to pay say £1,000, to enter a certain country. I'd simply just go elsewhere, nothing to do with not being able to afford it. Purely to do with "who do they think they are, charging me that much to visit their country and spend my money". Yes, i know it's refundable but it's hassle and an expense nontheless

[paully]

It'll be interesting to know what proof they will require and how they intend to return the deposit to the sponsor once the visitor has left UK bearing in mind that currently they do not check people returning.

Exactly.

The burden would doubtless be on the sponsor who paid to 'prove' that the visitor had returned/left within 3 months, presumably by forwarding a photocopy of the visitor's passport showing a dated entry to another country that would have to be sent through the post to the sponsor (the only other way would be for the visitor to show up at a British Embassy/Consulate abroad with passport and get them to take a copy). Not just any old photocopy either, but presumably a certified one to cut down on the risk of a forgery. Following that there would of course be an administrative delay of several more weeks by the BIA for 'approval' and 'processing' before eventual return of the £1,000. All in all quite a palaver.

[Mahout Angrit]

Also interesting is where the deposit has to be lodged, at the point of application, some UK government office, a bank?

If is is lodged with the application the logistics and cost of getting the funds there and subsequently returned has also to be considered.

[scotsman]

Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out. By next Spring we'll check everyone’s fingerprints when they apply for a visa; now we’re proposing a financial guarantee as well – not for everyone, but where we think there’s a risk

So it looks like its up to them what individual applicant is a risk and has to put up the money not for everyone

[slimsam]

Will people who are involved in getting visas for their families or partners be consulted on this ?

If so where can we express our views ?

or will it be like the last review which doubled visa costs without any apparent objections from those they consulted !

I think this is not a consultation this is the government saying "this is what we are going to do very soon".

Will £1000 will keep the terrorists out ?

Will reducing the stay from 6 to 3 months make any difference to those that intend to overstay anyway ?

So what is you stay illegally and lose £1000, for those wanting to come to the UK to work this is just an additional cost they will bear, after all the option for many is go home and earn nothing !

The Government can do nothing to stop those coming from the EU so it has to be seen to be doing something on immigration despite that the real strain on our health, education and wellfare services has come from EU immigrants.

[david96]

These new visa restrictions will affect Australians travelling to the UK, however Australia is not a high risk country for overstay in the UK. If an Australian can prove ancestry in the UK one should have no problems.

The Uk should publish the names of all low,medium and high risk countries so everyone knows where they stand.

Australia has an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for tourists of low risk countries.

A citizen of a Middle Eastern country travelling on an Australian passport might attract the attention of UK Immigration.

[PattayaParent]

Sounds like a good way to get interest free short term loans and put in a call to 3 month / 6 months money market deposit should be a nice little earner for HM Government.

[Eff1n2ret]

Will people who are involved in getting visas for their families or partners be consulted on this ?

If so where can we express our views ?

If you log on to the Border & Immigration Agency website, or follow through the link provided by the Scouser, you can find the consultation paper, which has sections where you can comment on the options they propose, and gives email or postal addresses where you can send it.

[Lickey]

I think the deposit is a good idea, properly invested, the interest will help pay for all the illegal immiigrants, who are a burden to the british tax payer, I know it sounds like rob Peter to pay Paul, but isnt that what taxes are all about?

[MrsExpat2B]

Might be a little OT but I can't help thinking how serious they are now about illegal immigrants. I work in recruitment and on Wednesday I suspected that one of my candidates was using a fake residence permit. I phoned the employers' helpline. They asked me to describe what the visa looked like - so I told. I was then told, "oh it sounds alright to us, it should be fine". Insisting I had a real concern, they gave me another phone number that might be able to help me more. I phoned that number, explained what I did to the first people. They asked me to fax the copy of the visa to them. Two days later I got the same fax back with the note, "this document does not appear to be genuine (signed)". That's it! You would have thought they might want to know a little bit more details about this person if they were really serious about this whole thing?

I don't personally have problems with this proposed Visa Change thing (just yet) but what would happen if I wanted to bring my parents and my sister to the UK to my graduation? Would I have to pay £3000 for three of them then?

[oldoldgit!!]

When I signed the petition about number 10 doubling visa fees, had Government email stating increase in fees was to cover the cost of sorting out the illegal immigrants, so I guess they bought a bigger shredder and said ''oops we have lost the files of one hunred and thirty thousand illegal immigrants so they can stay in the uk now, maybe I will get a fee refund, am not holding my breath.

[billd766]

I have a concern that I as a British citizen (though living in Thailand) can enter for free. My son is 3 1.2 and has dual nationality (Thai and UK) can go for free but his mother, my wife cannot visit the UK for a holiday without (me) lending the UK government £1,000 interest free.

This is the same government that taxes me on my military and company pension and when I get my state pension I will get no increase from the day it is awarded.

And people sometimes wonder why others emigrate from the UK in increasing numbers.

I am glad I left when I did and I am sorry that my first son is living in a country where he may never be able to afford a house and if he gets that lucky his children may not.

:D