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9 February 2009
New visa checks are being introduced for five countries after they failed to pass Britain’s strict new visa waiver test.
Following Britain's first global review of who needs a visa to come to the UK, regimes will now be introduced in Bolivia, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Venezuela. Already, three quarters of the world’s population need to apply for a visitor visa.
Tighten border security
The widening of the visa net is just one of a raft of measures the government has put in place to further tighten border security and only allow entry to those the UK wants and needs. There is now a triple ring of security that protects Britain, including fingerprint visas that lock people to one identity, a high-tech electronic borders system which checks people against watch-lists and ID cards for foreign nationals.
The visa waiver test reviewed all non European countries and regions to determine the level of risk their citizens potentially posed to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security, by not having to apply for a visa before they travelled.
Visa needed for less than six months visit
In July 2008 the UK Border Agency (new window) (UKBA) found 11 countries fell short of the required standard and over the past six months, along with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (new window) (FCO), has worked closely with them to improve their passport and border control systems. With the mitigation period over, it was decided visa checks would now be required for five of these countries in order to stop fraudulent attempts to enter Britain.
Already, nationals from Bolivia, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Venezuela need a visa to work or settle in the UK, as do all non European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. Now visitors from these countries who are coming to the UK for less than six months will need to apply for a visa before they are given the all-clear to travel to the UK. In the case of Venezuela, visitors who have new secure fingerprint passports issued since 2007 will be allowed to enter the UK without applying for a visa.
Statement from Border and Immigration Minister
Phil Woolas said, ‘The government said it would get tough and we meant it. Already our shake-up of border security is delivering results, with three million fingerprints taken from visa applicants and 3,000 people caught trying to hide their identity.
'Today’s announcement sees these tough checks extended to a further five countries. Fingerprint visas make up one part of Britain’s triple ring of security, alongside hi-tech watch-list checks at the border and ID cards for foreign nationals.
'The message is clear - we will not shy away from widening the visa net further wherever we think there's a risk to the UK.'
Transit visa required
Anyone wishing to travel from these five countries via the UK en route to a third country will also now need a transit visa. The same transit visa requirements have also been extended to Jamaican nationals wanting to pass through the UK.
Britain's tough border means that nationals of over 100 countries - three-quarters of the world's population - must apply for a six-month visitor visa to come to the UK.
The UK’s visa checks now requires everyone to be fingerprinted, locking them to one identity, and checked against government watchlists. They are then screened and counted in and out of the UK using the UK Border Agency’s e-Borders system.
Criteria for the visa waiver test
Criteria for the visa waiver test 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.
First time visitors to the UK from South Africa will need to apply for visas from 3 March 2009 with the full visa regime coming into effect by mid 2009, along with the rest of the new regimes.
Notes to editors
In March 2007, the visa waiver test was announced as part of the Securing the UK Border strategy (new window).
In July 2008, 11 countries were named as needing to improve their security: Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
In the case of Venezuela, visitors who have new fingerprint passports containing an electronic chip issued since 2007 will continue to be permitted visa free access to the UK.
Also announced today is the lifting of the visa regime in Taiwan for visitors and the introduction of a direct airside transit visa regime in Jamaica.
UK Border Agency - recent achievements
The UK Border Agency – which combined the Border and Immigration Agency, UK Visas and Customs at the border - comprises 25,000 staff working across 135 countries. It was created in April 2008. So far the Agency has in 2008:
- barred over 21,700 illegal migrants from entering Britain by overseas border controls, nearly 14,499 at Calais
- seized in excess of 800 million cigarettes - representing a potential loss of nearly £150 million in tax revenue
- seized over £260 million worth of illegal drugs
- taken off the streets nearly 5,000 dangerous weapons, including firearms, stun guns and hundreds of knives, off the streets.
Since 1 April 2008 the e-Borders pilot programme, which screens all passengers before they travel to the UK against immigration, customs and police watch-lists, has checked over 75 million passengers, leading to over 2,600 arrests for crimes such as murder, rape and assault.
