Simultaneously, it has also made it mandatory for a financial deposit to support visas for relatives of non-European Union members willing to visit Britain.

The new policy has been put forth by the British immigration minister Liam Byrne, who pointed out that with the illegal immigration to Britain on the rise, there was no other option to keep the ‘risky people’ out from visiting or settling in the country without permission.

Contrary to this, Opposition members have criticized the move as a ‘harsh gimmick’ saying that it was aimed at castigating British citizens of south Asian origin. They alleged that the new immigration and visa rules make it amply clear that non-European Union members are no longer welcome to Britain.

 
As a fall-out of the new policy, henceforth British citizens of South Asian origin would now not only find it difficult to invite their retired parents to visit or settle with them, but also bring their spouses from their countries of origin to Britain.

Now onwards, non-European Union members in Britain will be required to shell out a bond to make certain that their relatives from leave the country on time. According to the new policy, if the visitors fail to leave the country on schedule, the bond deposit would stand forfeited.

While the chief executive of the campaign group Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants Habib Rahman described the new polices of the Labour Government as ‘unfair’ and ‘discriminatory’, Labour MP from Indian origin-dominated Leicester East constituency Keith Vaz has said that he supported the measures on principle, but felt that they were impractical. According to Vaz, it is alright if the government penalized visitors for not leaving the country within the stipulated period.

Even though Liam Byrne asserted that the new measures announced by the Labour government aimed at making the visa system more secure and also to make sure that Britain retained its position as a choice destination for tourists, political analysts are of the opinion that the policies would make the Labour Party unpopular among the British citizens of South Asian origin, who would now think twice before extending their support to the Gordon Brown government.

Comments (2)

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4