Visitors
from Nigeria and other “high risk” countries in Asia and Africa such as India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Ghana will be forced to pay a £3,000 cash
bond (that is about #700,000.00) before they can enter United Kingdom.
The
enforcement of the payment of the fee will commence fully From November which
is when a pilot scheme that will target
visitors from the listed countries will take effect. The visitors will forfeit
the £3,000 if they overstay in Britain and fail to return to their home
countries by the time their visa has expired.
The
controversial move by the UK home secretary, Theresa May, to introduce the
Australian-style system reflects her determination to show that the
Conservatives are serious about cutting immigration in the UK.
Ms
May said: “This is the next step in making sure our immigration system is more
selective, bringing down net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the
tens of thousands, while still welcoming the brightest and the best to
Britain.”
She
added: “In the long run we’re interested in a system of bonds that deters
overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public
services.”
The Home Office is
targeting countries which have high volumes of visitor visa applications and
what it deems to be relatively high levels of fraud and abuse.
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