Immigrants told to reveal criminal records

IMMIGRANTS from outside Europe will be required to provide details of their criminal records or be refused entry to Britain, under measures to be introduced by the Government.

From September, everyone applying to come to Britain under certain visa routes will have to provide proof of criminal record checks from every country in which they have lived during the past 10 years. The scheme, designed to prevent foreign criminals reaching British soil, will apply initially to applicants in the “investor” and “entrepreneur” visa routes – but it is due to be extended to other visa types from 2016.

However, the checks will not apply to anyone from within the European Union who enjoys “free movement” rights to come to Britain.

The scheme would not have covered the case of the killer of Alice Gross, the 14year-old schoolgirl who disappeared from her west London home last August and was found murdered.

Arnis Zalkalns, 41, a Latvian, arrived in Britain having served seven years in his home country for murdering his wife. Alice’s family demanded answers about what checks, if any, were made on him when he arrived in 2007.

James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said: “Foreign criminals have no place in the United Kingdom and this scheme will help keep them out. Since 2010, checks on foreign nationals going through the UK criminal justice system have in- creased by more than 1,000 per cent, helping to ensure more foreign criminals are taken off our streets and making our communities safer. But we want to go further still by preventing these people getting into the country in the first place. Mandatory police certificates will serve as an additional tool to help us achieve this.”

The Home Office also confirmed the scheme will not apply to short-term visa routes because it would be a “disproportionate requirement” for millions of visitors coming to Britain. A spokesman confirmed the roll-out of the scheme will depend on the results of the first stage of the investor and entrepreneur routes, known as Tier 1 visas under the Government’s points-based immigration system.

The requirements will cover all nationalities who are applying under the Tier 1 routes, even if they are citizens of countries who do not require a visa to visit this country.

The spokesman said: “A US national or any other non-visa national coming to the UK as a Tier 1 investor or entrepreneur still requires entry clearance, even if they don’t necessarily need a visa. Therefore, they will still need to produce a police certificate.”