Click to play videoLondon: 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 on Tuesday.
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.
Suman Khanna Aggarwal is a professor at Delhi University. She travels to Britain regularly for lectures and to visit her daughter and grandchild in London. But for frequent travellers like Aggarwal, these visits are going to become tougher. This may not be a huge hindrance but will certainly cause inconvenience.
“It is not a visitor friendly measure. It is inconvenient,” says Suman.
Another measure, in what is being called the 'biggest shake-up of the British immigration system' is the introduction of a 1000-pound cash bond for families' who wish to sponsor relatives from non-EU countries. The authorities claim this is to curb illegal immigration. Some say there are as many as 570,000 illegal immigrants in Britain. However, critics point out that there is lack of statistical evidence to show that family visa holders are abusing the system.
“We are opposed any cash bond. There are stringent checks already in place,” says Rhian Beynon, Joint Council for the welfare of immigrants.
While there is some cynicism about whether the new measures will help resolve the problem of illegal immigration, it is clear that the present government wants to be seen as taking tougher decisions on the issue.
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