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Updates/News
Trinidadians face
tough visa restrictions for UK entry.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, July 14, 2008 -
Citizens from Trinidad and Tobago are among those who could have
to go through strict visa screening before being allowed into
the United Kingdom.
The UK Home Office said that tough new visa regimes could be
introduced following the just concluded first global review of
who needs a visa to enter the UK.
"The Visa Waiver Test reviewed all non European countries
against a set of strict criteria to determine the level of risk
they pose to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and
security, to help decide where the new regime may be required,"
a release said.
That criteria included looking at passport security and
integrity, the degree of cooperation over deportation or removal
of a country's nationals from the UK, levels of illegal working
in the UK and other immigration abuse, levels of crime and
terrorism risk posed to the UK, and the extent to which a
country's authorities were addressing these threats.
According to the Home Office, the results of the Visa Waiver
Test showed a strong case for introducing visa regimes for 11
countries: Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia,
Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Venezuela.
"The government will introduce visa requirements for short-term
visitors from these countries unless they significantly reduce
the risk they pose to the UK by the end of the year. This means
visitors from these countries would need to apply for a
six-month visa, and provide their fingerprints, before
travelling to the UK," the release indicated, adding that
government will also work with these countries over the next six
months to reduce the risk they pose.
"If they are able to show evidence of change there will be no
need to introduce a visa regime. No final decisions will be made
until early 2009," it added.
Everyone applying for a UK visa now has their fingerprints
checked before their identity is fixed.
Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said that tougher
checks abroad are working better than expected.
"We've now checked two million fingerprints of foreign nationals
applying for visas and stopped 3,000 people trying to hide their
real identity," the UK official said.
"Now we need to decide how to widen the visa net. Three quarters
of the world's population need to pass a visa check to come to
Britain. We cannot and will not shy away from going wider and
will wherever we think there's a risk to the UK."
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