BEIJING, Dec. 1 -- Britain is tightening rules on visas issued worldwide starting 2007, a move that will attempt to curb abuse of the system.

    "We're very keen to make the system easy to use for people who have a legitimate wish to enter, to work, or to study in Britain," said Paula Higson, senior director of the managed migration division of Britain's Home Office. "And we need to make sure that we protect our borders from abuse as well."

    The changes are due to the redesigning of Britain's immigration system, Higson said during a seminar on the new system in Beijing on Tuesday.

    "We've realized the current system has limited mechanisms for addressing abuse, and decisions are based on a wide range of entry criteria, some of which are subjective," she said. "Therefore, we're working on a five-tiered points-based system for managed migration with a clear and objective criteria."

    The five tiers will reflect the purposes of different immigrants to Britain: highly skilled individuals, skilled workers with a job offer, limited numbers of workers to fill low skill job shortages, students and other temporary categories, such as visiting workers and exchange scholars.

    A new requirement is for Chinese students to state the specific college he or she will attend.

    That means international students, usually with several offers from British colleges on hand, have to make a decision about their school before they apply for visas. Under the current system, they are allowed to apply for visas before making the decision.

    Higson revealed that under the new system, except for the most highly skilled, every applicant needs to provide a certificate of sponsorship issued by employers or educational institutions who also shoulder the responsibility of giving feedback to the Home Office about whether the person is a genuine student or worker.

    "Therefore, sponsorship certificates from a specific school will be needed for the student visa application," she said, adding that students who have received visas need to inform the school and the embassy if they want to change their minds.

    Moreover, bonds will be requested if there is evidence of abuse, she said. The money will be forfeited for any breach of the immigration rules, or repaid upon returning to their home country or the granting of settlement; but she said "the exact amount has not been decided yet."

    Chinese students have mixed attitudes towards the change. Many said that the procedure is more complicated as a bond is possibly needed.

    But Li Ding, a consultant with the New Oriental School, China's biggest private institute that provides language training to students going abroad, said the new system is actually making the application easier for genuine students.

    "With objective criteria and online self-assessment, students will know clearly in which sector that they should make progress," he said.

    "As for the sponsorship system, many other countries such as the United States have adopted the same policy for a long time, and no negative effects are shown."

    The design phase will end next spring, and the new system will be implemented in 2007, according to the British Embassy in Beijing. Enditem

(Source: China Daily)