UK Visas Now Required for Visitors from S. Africa

A new visa requirement for travellers coming to the UK for short visits from South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho went into force yesterday, July 1 2009.  Before being granted a visa the applicants are subject to checks against watch lists as well as fingerprinting.  This completes the implementation of process which began earlier in the year

In a continuing effort to tighten border control for visitors coming to the United Kingdom, the UK Border Agency is enforcing new visa rules for many additional countres in an ongoing effort to combat illegal immigration, crime, security concerns, and passport and identity fraud.  Visas are now required by nationals from more than one hundred countries outside the EU.  The new visa rules have already gone into force for visitors coming from Venezuela and Bolivia. 
 
Phil Woolas, the Border and Immigration Minister was quoted as saying

“’Already our shake-up of border security is delivering results, with fingerprint visas helping us catch thousands of people trying to hide their true identity or a criminal past…”

For more information visit the UK Border Agency website:  ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk.