{{Nigeria on Tuesday blasted as “discriminatory” a British plan to force visitors from the west African country and some other selected Commonwealth nations to provide a cash bond before they can enter Britain.}}<\/p>\n
Foreign minister Olugbenga Ashiru expressed Nigeria’s displeasure at the plan when he met in his office the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, a foreign ministry statement said.<\/p>\n
The minister described the policy “as not only discriminatory but also capable of undermining the spirit of the Commonwealth family,” it said.<\/p>\n
Media had reported that from November, a pilot scheme would target visitors from Nigeria, India and Pakistan plus Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana.<\/p>\n
Visitors aged 18 and over would be forced to hand over \u00a33,000 from November for a six-month visit visa.<\/p>\n
They will forfeit the money if they overstay in Britain after their visa has expired.<\/p>\n
Ashiru told the British diplomat that Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, “has a responsibility to take appropriate measures to protect the interest of Nigerians who may be affected by the proposed policy, if finally introduced,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
The British High Commission in Nigeria after the meeting issued a statement quoting Pocock as saying that his government planned to undertake “a very small scale trial of the use of financial bonds as a way of tackling abuse in the immigration system (which occurs when some people overstay their visa terms).”<\/p>\n
He said that the details of the pilot scheme were still being worked out and if it goes ahead in Nigeria, it would affect only a very small number of the highest risk visitors.<\/p>\n
“The vast majority would not be required to pay a bond. Those paying bonds would receive the bond back, if they abided by the terms of their visa.”<\/p>\n
More than 180,000 Nigerians apply to visit Britain each year and about 70% or around 125,000 of these applicants are successful, he said.<\/p>\n
A Home Office official said the six countries highlighted were those with “the most significant risk of abuse”.<\/p>\n
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