LONDON, June 26: The British government is working on a plan to impose a 3,000-pound ($4,630) bond on visas for first-time visitors from Pakistan and five other “high-risk” countries in Asia and Africa. The other countries are India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana.
The bond will be refunded when the visitor leaves Britain.
On Tuesday, Nigeria summoned Britain’s top diplomat to protest the proposal. A government statement said Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga A. Ashiru expressed “the strong displeasure of the government and people of Nigeria” over the “discriminatory” policy.
He warned British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock at a meeting at his office in Abuja that the move would “definitely negate” the two countries’ commitment to double trade.
British government figures indicate 101,000 Nigerians were granted visas last year.—AP
