U.K. Says Business Visitors Must Prove Meetings (Update1)

/ 11:23 PM /


 Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Business visitors to the U.K. will be required to prove they are attending meetings or arranging deals under new rules designed to limit immigration and the ability of criminals to enter the country, the government said.

The Home Office said those wishing to come to the U.K. on business for up to six months must obtain a visa and show they are signing contracts, undertaking fact-finding missions, attending conferences or conducting site visits.

The changes are part of the biggest changes to U.K. immigration rules since the 1960s as the government struggles to stem record flows of migrants. The Home Office has modeled its new visa system for residents on Australia's, one of the most restrictive in the industrial world.

``It makes sense to tighten visit visas at the same time,'' Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said in a statement in London today. ``We are determined to deliver a system of border security which is among the most secure in the world.''

The rules won't apply to visitors who are citizens of the 27-nation European Union, who are free to travel and live anywhere within the bloc.

Earlier this year, the government implemented a new points- based immigration system aimed at awarding visas to highly- skilled workers and reducing the scope for people without training or education to come to the U.K.

Business Concerns

``While we broadly support the new system, we think the limit on business visitors staying should be 12 months rather than six months,'' Katja Hall, director of employment policy at Britain's largest employer organization, the Confederation of British Industry, said in an e-mail. ``This would give more flexibility to business and allow foreign workers to combine business trips with tourism more easily.''

The Labour government is under pressure from the Conservative opposition to limit migration, which is putting a strain on hospitals, schools and police.

The Home Office also set out details of two new visitor routes for ``sportspeople'' and ``entertainers.'' Under those plans, athletes coming to a specific event such as the annual tennis championship in Wimbledon, London or to the 2012 Olympic Games will enter the U.K. using a dedicated visa.

Amateur athletes and entertainers traveling to the U.K. for a specific engagement such as the Edinburgh international arts festival also must seek the new visa.