London appears to have made up its mind to go ahead with a financial bond worth about Tk 3.6 lakh (3,000 pound) for some high-risk Bangladeshis seeking British visa.
Nationals from five other countries – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana – will also be subject to the visa bond. Under the planned pilot scheme expected to come into effect in November, visitors from these six “high-risk” countries will have to deposit 3,000 pound for six-month visit visa for the United Kingdom. They will forfeit the money if they overstay in Britain after the expiry of their visa.
“The UK government has already announced its intention to the trial use of financial bond as a way of tackling abuse in the immigration system. The government appears to be ready to go ahead with the financial bond,” an official of the British High Commission in Dhaka told The Independent, adding, “This scheme would only affect a small number of the highest risk visitors.”
The official, however, said that no final decision has yet been made in this regard.
The British government’s decision to introduce such a bond caused uproar in countries like India and Nigeria as well as in the United Kingdom.
Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma described the proposed bond as a “retrograde move” and a “negative step” that should not be taken.
Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga Ashiru discussed the issue with the British Ambassador in Nigeria last month and expressed “strong displeasure” over the “discriminatory” policy.
No Bangladeshi official has so far been found making any remarks publicly in this regard.
When contacted, a top official of the Foreign Ministry told The Independent, “We have conveyed our displeasure both in Dhaka and New Delhi. We have told London that this scheme is discriminatory and unfair.”
He also said, “Our High Commissioner in London has flagged our concerns during a meeting with the UK government officials concerned.”
Asked why there was no public statement from anybody in the government, the official said, “Diplomacy is sometimes quiet.”
Another senior official acknowledged that there was little the government could do in this regard.
“This is actually an internal issue of UK. We can express our displeasure and try to persuade them. We cannot go beyond that,” he said.
To a question, the official said, “When we introduce any visa policy we do not consult with any countries.”
“The officials from the British High Commission have explained the financial bond issue to the Ministry,” he said, adding, “They told us that the visa bond will be very selective and it will only apply to visitors who have a high risk of not returning to Bangladesh.”
According to different sources, nearly five lakh people of Bangladesh origin live in the UK and Bangladesh exports products worth about a billion dollar to Britain.
About the scheme, British High Commissioner Robert Gibson said on June 26 that the proposed pilot scheme was intended to target a small number of visa applicants assessed to pose a high risk of overstaying.
“The UK government remains committed to tackling immigration abuse and is looking at a range of options. One of those options is a financial bond,” he said in a statement.
“Any such scheme will be designed in a way that does not cut across the UK’s wish to be open for business, students and tourists,” Gibson said.
“Migration is an important part of the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and the UK. We are reducing net migration but people to people contacts are important and we welcome genuine visitors and students to the UK,” he said.
-With The Independent input
