India and five nations will have to pay 3,000 pounds, about Rs 2.7 lakh, as fee from November to enter Britain, if the plans being finalised by the British home office goes through, says media reports. The move is a fresh attempt at cracking down on immigration abuse and will be applicable to visitors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana.
The hefty fee of Rs 2.7 lakh will be over and above all visa costs, which was also hiked steeply in recent past. The British Immigration & Asylum Act gives the government the right to force such a financial security from temporary migrants, which would be forfeited if they fail to leave after the expiry of their visa. According to the home secretary Theresa May, this is the next step in making sure that the British immigration system is more selective, bringing down net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands range, while still welcoming the brightest and the best to Britain." She also confirmed that in the long run, Britain will formally introduce a system of bonds that deter overstaying and "recover costs if a foreign national has used public services."
Indian-origin ruling party MP Keith Vaz had earlier shot down the planned scheme warning that such bonds would antagonise settled communities in Britain and enrage our allies like India. The number of Indians receiving visas to travel to Britain fell by nearly 20 per cent between 2011 and 2012. Asians accounted for more than half (54 per cent ) or a whopping 2,73,927 of the 5,07,701 visas issued in 2012, with India and China each accounting for 15 per cent of the total.
The British home office has already cut the number of migrants coming to Britain to its lowest level in over a decade. The number coming to live in Britain fell by 74,000 in the 12 months to June last year as curbs on students and workers from outside Europe began to bite.
Between December 2011 and December 2012, the following nations saw the highest drop in visas–Pakistanis (down 25,841 or 48 percent), Indians (down 18,365 or 19 percent), Lankans (down 4,202 or 45 percent) and Bangladeshis (down 3,175 or 30 percent).
