UK scraps Sh400,000 visa bond

British Home Secretary Theresa May

Tuesday, November 5, 2013, By Nation Reporter 

PHOTO | BEN STANSALL | FILE British Home Secretary Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron and other Cabinet members in London, on August 11, 2011.  AFP

In Summary

• The policy was revealed in June by Home Secretary Theresa May, but will now be scrapped
• The policy was set for piloting this month to coincide with the start of the Christmas shopping season

Britain has abandoned a contentious proposal to have people from selected countries deposit a bond of Sh400,000 before they can be granted visas.

The policy was revealed in June by Home Secretary Theresa May, but will now be scrapped, according to a spokesperson for the British Home Office. (READ: UK plans new visa conditions for Kenya)

“The government has been considering whether we pilot a bond scheme that would deter people from overstaying the visa. We have decided not to proceed,” the spokesman said.

British High Commissioner to Kenya Christian Turner on Tuesday told the Nation: “The UK wants the brightest and the best to help create the jobs and growth that will enable Britain to compete in the global race.”

The policy was set for piloting this month to coincide with the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Kenya was among six countries in Africa and Asia that had been singled out as “high risk”, meaning they are the source of the highest number of immigrants to the UK.

The £3,000 bond was to serve as a guarantee that the visa applicants would return home after the allowed period.

Others countries were Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. (READ: Nigeria slams UK cash visa bond plan as 'discriminatory')