Tourist visa limit 'to be halved'

Tourist visas could be cut from 6 to 3 months

Tuesday, 18, Dec 2007 12:00

The government today proposed halving the length of time overseas visitors can stay in the country in a bid to prevent abuse of the system.

A Home Office consultation published today proposes slashing the time limit on tourist visas for non-EU nationals from six to three months.

Further measures put forward for consultation include specific business and specialist visas, including a dedicated visa for one off events such as the Olympics.

Ministers are also considering asking families to pay a financial deposit to ensure visiting foreign nationals return home.

The bond would not be levied on all visitors but only those foreign nationals deemed a high risk of overstaying their visa.

However, concerns have been raised the cost of the bond would penalise poorer families.

Ministers have not confirmed what the bond would be, but media reports speculate it could be as much as £1,000 per visitor.

The consultation was launched as the government announced it had collected more than one million fingerprints as part of its attempt to prove it is tough on immigration.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said: "Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out.

"By next spring we'll check everyone's fingerprints when they apply for a visa; now we're proposing a financial guarantee as well - not for everyone, but where we think there's a risk."

Mr Byrne said measures designed to make the immigration system more secure would not be at the expense of the UK's tourist industry.

Government figures show tourists and foreign visitors spent £15.4 billion in the UK in 2006 while the tourism industry employs 1.4 million people.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 1.1 per cent of overseas visitors in 2005 stayed for three months or more.