Jaimini Bhagwati - No Sign Of Finalizing Visa Bond For Indians Soon

23 Sep 2013

A senior Indian diplomat said that there is no move to finalize the 3,000 pound visa bond scheme for Indians soon.

At a farewell reception hosted in his honor at the India House, Jaimini Bhagwati, Indian High Commissioner to the UK said that the issue was taken up with the UK government both at the senior ministerial level and government level.

He said that if the idea is to target people violating the Visa rules, then it is not clear how the bond will prevent such violators and that there is no move to finalize the proposal soon.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister opposed the Conservative-led coalition government's contentious 3,000 pounds visa bond scheme, which will affect visitors from particular countries including India.

Clegg is the recent senior figure to speak out against the plans to charge 3,000 pounds from international visitors belonging to particular ‘high risk’ nations.

Earlier, Theresa May, British Home Secretary had set the amount at 3,000 pounds. The amount will be forfeited if visitors stay beyond their permitted visa period but refunded upon departure.

The scheme’s pilot version is scheduled to start in November and is anticipated that countries like Ghana, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria and India will be affected by it.

Strong objections were raised by Indian ministerial circles and sought complete details on the application of the scheme.

Against the backdrop of austerity measures and unemployment brought on by the economic crisis, immigration remains a sensitive political issue in Britain.

Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to cut net immigration from 2010's 252,000 a year to under 100,000 per year by 2015.

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