Tough new laws to tackle UK visa abuse

Visa applicants who try to gain access to the UK by using false documents or deception will face a ten-year ban. Applicants who have previously breached UK immigration laws by staying in the UK illegally or working without permission will also be banned from coming to the UK, the British Embassy in Moldova said in a press release, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. From 1 April, the UK is changing the Immigration Rules to prevent anyone who has previously broken the immigration laws from coming to the UK for a fixed period. Applicants who have used deception (used a false document, lied, withheld information) in a previous application will be banned from the UK for ten years. Applicants who have breached immigration laws in the UK will be banned from coming back to the UK for a lengthy period. The length of time will depend on how the individual left the UK after his or her breach of the law – e.g.: 1 year if he or she left voluntarily at his or her own expense; 5 years if he or she left voluntarily at public expense; and 10 years if he or she was removed or deported. All applicants for an UK visa at the British Embassy in Chisinau are required to provide biometric data in the form of fingerscans and a digital photograph as part of the application process. This identifies if they have previously broken the rules in the UK or have made an application in a different name. Developments in the risk assessment and forgery identification techniques have also made it far easier to uncover those attempting to abuse UK visa systems. These developments are good news for the majority of travellers. By quickly identifying who the high-risk applicants are, staff of the British Embassy in Chisinau working with their colleagues in the UK Border Agency are able to quickly identify and welcome legitimate travellers. Globally, the UK welcomes over 2 million people a year to the UK.