UK: Visa Waiver Test for seven Eastern Caribbean countries
Description
On March 30, 2010 the The Secretary of State for the Home Department, Alan Johnson announced the final stage of the Visa Waiwer Test, the UK's first global review of visa regimes. The last stage concerns the review of visa requirements for seven countries of the Eastern Caribbean-Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Visa Waiver Test is supposed to determine the risk that citizens of certain countries may pose to the United Kingdom (in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security), and should provide advice on whether visas should be required. As a result of the review citizens of several of these countries may lose their visa-free entry status to the UK.
The assesment reveals that the government is above all considering the introduction of visa requirements for the citizens of Dominica and Santa Lucia, but the decision in the case of the other five countries has not yet been taken. No final decision will be made public until the end of the six months period, during which the countries concerned will have the chance to work together with the UK government to address these concerns. The Home Secretary said that during that time, Dominica and St Lucia "will need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to put into effect credible and realistic plans, with clear timetables, to reduce the risks to the UK, and begin implementing these plans by the end of the dialogue period".
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered: 04/06/2010
Implemented: Yes
Date of inception: 30 Mar 2010
GTA Evaluation: Amber
Source:
House of Commons Hansard Ministerial Statements for March 30, 2010,
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100330/wmst...
UK government may impose Visa restrictions on Dominica and St Lucia, April 5, 2010
http://www.thedominican.net/2010/04/uk-government-may-impose-visa.html
UK: Visa Waiver Test results for eastern Caribbean
April 2, 2010
http://www.caribbeanpressreleases.com/articles/6573/1/UK-Visa-Waiver-Tes...
Britain reviewing visa waiver for Eastern Caribbean nationals
April 7, 2010
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/British-Visas_7522899
Government Response:
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