Report: ‘Serious failure’ in UK visa controls for Pakistanis
By ANITuesday, July 27, 2010
LONDON - An independent chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine’s report has revealed that immigration controls for Pakistani applicants who want to settle in the United Kingdom have failed to protect British borders.
According to the BBC, Vine said that a “significant number” of visa applications were not being “decided correctly”.
“In the worst cases, visas that should have been refused were granted, and vice versa,” he added.
The report claims that inspectors have studied a sample of 100 cases of visa applications from Pakistani nationals and found that out of the 49 granted entry to the UK, there were six cases between November 2009 and January of this year where visas were granted when they should have been refused.
The six cases in question have now been handed to enforcement officers, the report states.
It also said that such cases indicate “serious organisational failings” in the visa section of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), and “a lack of rigorous scrutiny being applied to those who wished to settle in the UK”.
People from Pakistan represent the third largest source of applications to enter the UK.
“I am determined to drive up standards and ensure that UK border controls are robust,” he ensured. (ANI)
