So what do you all think of reducing tourists visas by half and making families pay a financial deposit for relatives visiting them???

[TheIceQueen]

story here

I think it's crazy - and I'm hoping to god that if it does come into play it's not until my FIL has been over to see us at some point late next year.

We're planning a 6 month long trip (it will be first time even outside of Zimbabwe - let alone the African continent and probably his last.....), staying with us, and my 2 SIL's.....and visiting a few other distant family members scattered around the country. However cutting it down to 3 months would make the whole planning exercise feel like a waste of time (planning has been going on since August this year), and if the £1000 was included we couldn't afford it and he would never get to come over.

How long are visitors visas to other countries? I've no idea.

The idea of a deposit is lunacy, although I can see their reasoning.

I think a lot are 3 months - but not sure.

It's seems as though they are going to specify certain people for the bond, at risk people. What the criteria for that are, is anyone's guess.

3-month visas seem sensible.
The 'deposit' idea is ludicrous.
Another example of the government being unable to effectively punish the perpetrators, so implementing a blanket policy that negatively affects everyone.

tbh I can't see what good cutting it to 3 months is going to make - if someone is determined to stay in the country illegally after their visa runs out then they'll do it - whether there visa is valid for 3 months or 3 years!

Well that seems pretty stupid. What about all those American tourist dollars. Why should I have to pay a fee for my family to visit?

Not many American tourists visit for 6 months though? Do They?

I would have thought that most tourist moneny oming into the country would be on the back of 1,2,3 week visits.

No idea what this will achieve - is there any evidence that cutting visas to six months will make it less likely for people to overstay?

Was puzzled by woman on the radio this morning though, who was complaining that her parents often come over for six months and that it wouldn't be worth their while for three. Why on earth not?!

With American visitors, we should offer the same conditions they offer us - 3 months, with zero rights.

if someone wants to stay illegally they can disappear in a weekend - reducing the time from 6 mths to 3 wont make a blind bit of difference

but what do i know

edam - I can understand where she's coming from with 3 months not being worth their while. The trip my FIL makes to the UK (hopefully next year) will be his first, and almost definitely his last. 7 of his 8 grandchildren live in the UK and he's only seen our 3 DS's once - and that was for a few days last year. He's only seen DH (his son) 2 times in the last 7 1/2yrs - and both of those times it was only for a couple of days.

3 months, split between 3 families (us, and my 2 SIL's in the UK), plus giving him the chance to see some of the UK really would be a waste of time (and money!) as far as we're concerned.

Although I can see if her parents come over reguarly that it would be less of an issue.

Have you responded to the consultation docment, TIQ?

(Anyone else who wants to respond -- it's here)

oh - thanks for that link PAL - shall read it thoroughly later once the DS's are in bed and respond accordingly.

I think it is a deposit though, not a fee - so you get it back when he leaves the country.

yes I know - but we still couldn't afford it.

Just like we can't afford the £750 (roughly) for DH to apply for British Citizenship......

It's blardy stupid. Who is going to sponsor people who are not visiting relatives, but merely tourists? It won't stop illegal immigration, but it might hurt the tourism industry.

Slightly different from demanding a bond, but a lot of countries expect to see proof of funds if travelling on an extended visa. Britain has the softest borders in the world and I too can't see the point of lowering the length of visa from 6 to 3 months if it isn't going to be enforced. As usual with this lousy govt it is an unworkable soundbite of a policy.

softest borders in the world?? Really???

Is that why I know a LOT of people who have been refused a visa to travel to the UK (purely for tourism) - while I was refused entry to Zambia over something completely ridiculous!

You've also obviously never experienced coming into a UK airport and having to go into the "non EU passport" queue......even WITH a visa already in place is can be, at its best time consuming and extremely inconvenient, at worst - sheer hell!

Callisto,
I think those measures of checking financial security are fair enough for extended visas. But, the government is talking about short term tourisits.

I do realise that Eleusis, though for a lot of countries anything over a month would mean an extended visa and you need a booked return flight etc etc.

Obviously, being a British national I have never experianced the non EU queue whilst entering the UK, however, I stand by my statement.

I know all about the non-EU queue at Heathrow. It can be be like being on trial sometimes. But, usually, they just scan my passport, see I have permanent residency and off I go. Every now and then, they don't ready the screen, and Say "what brings you to the United Kingdon" and I say, much to their apparent surprise "I live here".

Callisto - my DH experienced the queue when we first came to the UK.

He, sorry we had already been subjected to a, quite frankly humiliating, interview at the High Commission in Harare to get his visa, and spent vast sums of money on obtaining it and tickets. We arrived in the UK, I was 4 months pg and shattered, but ended up waiting for nearly 2hrs for him to come through.

1/2hr of that was in the queue just waiting to be seen. The other 1 1/2hrs was him being interrogated about why he was coming to the UK, what was the telephone number of his sponsors (my parents), where did they live, where abouts in the country was that, who was his wife, why did we get married, how were his sponsors going to be able to afford to feed and house themselves AND us, why didn't he have any £'s with him, how were we getting from the airport to the house......virtually ALL of those questions had already been asked of us both in the visa interview back in Zimbabwe a few months before. and his visa was already stamped in his passport!!!!

Thankfully when we came back from a few weeks in Zimbabwe last August, with our 2 young children in tow he was waved through to the "normal" entry point by a very lovely (but scary looking) man and it was a very short and painless re-entry.

Sounds like a nightmare for you Icequeen.

it was horrendous - the interview for the visa was nearly 8yrs ago - but I still remember it vividly - being sat there, only a couple of weeks pg with my first (so very hormonal too), trying to leave a country that we both wished we could have stayed in, and being reduced to tears by the b*stard doing the interview.

And then standing waiting - with no-where to sit at the airport a few months later was awful.