SINGAPORE: Proposals to cut the time tourists from outside the European Union can stay in the UK from six months to three are expected to be announced by ministers this week, BBC.com reported.

The move is among measures aimed at further tightening the visa system. A deposit of at least £1,000 to be paid by families who want relatives to visit Britain will also be introduced.

The new measures are said to be contained within a consultation document set to be unveiled by immigration minister Liam Byrne.

The website said the idea of a cash bond was not a new one but ministers were convinced it was the way forward. It would see people using “sponsored family visits” to enable relatives from outside the European Union to visit on temporary visas would need to put up a cash bond. The bond would then be forfeited if the relative did not leave when the visa expired.

The site also said the existing right of appeal to a full tribunal against a decision by immigration authorities not to grant a visa could be scrapped. Such appeals which currently cost between £30m and £40m a year, could be replaced by a simpler and cheaper appeal process.

The government has already announced other changes to the visa system which Byrne described as the “biggest shake-up of the immigration system in history”. They included a points-based system for economic migrants and tightening of procedures for people bringing spouses into the country.

 

Source : DNAIndia