Patel to penalise visa applicants if their country won’t help with deportations

PRITI Patel will be granted new powers to impose visa penalties on countries that do not cooperate on deportations, under new reforms in the Nationality and Borders Bill announced yesterday.

The Home Secretary will be able to suspend visas entirely, impose a £190 surcharge on applications to come to the UK or increase visa processing times.

The powers will affect the whole visa service, including study, work, visitor and settlement visas.

The aim is to encourage other countries to cooperate with the UK Government when it comes to deportations and removals.

Ms Patel said: “The UK has a proud history of being open to the world but we rightly expect our international partners to work with us to remove those who have no right to be in the UK, such as dangerous foreign national offenders.

“It is unfair on UK citizens and taxpayers that pressure is put on our public services by foreign nationals with no legal right to be here.

“Through my New Plan For Immigration and this landmark legislation, I will continue to take the difficult action needed to fix our broken asylum system and deliver on what the British people want – full control of our borders.” It will also be possible for foreign criminals to be removed sooner.

Under changes to the Early Removal Scheme, foreign national criminals will be eligible for removal up to 12 months before the end of their custodial sentence, as opposed to nine months, assuming they’ve served over half a custodial sentence.

The minister for tackling illegal migration, Tom Pursglove, said the New Plan For Immigration provides the only long-term solution to fix our “broken asylum system”.

He added: “We are taking another step forward in delivering on this commitment as our Nationality and Borders Bill continues its passage. We are ensuring our system is fair for those who play by the rules, but firm on foreign criminals and those in our country illegally.”