Overstayers may not be Malaysians
(NST) – He said Malaysia was currently in the top 10 countries for illegal overstayers in the UK.
VISA ABUSE: Many of the 20,000 offenders in UK could have used forged passports
LONDON: A HUGE question mark hangs over the status of the 20,000 “Malaysians” who had allegedly overstayed in the United Kingdom after their six-month visitor’s passes or student visas had expired.
While some are undeniably Malaysians, there is a lingering suspicion that a significant number could very well be non-Malaysians who had somehow used Malaysian passports to enter the UK.
It is not known how many of them are “bogus” Malaysians, but a Malaysian tour operator here suspects the number is high.
“Malaysian passports are much sought after, as the holder gets a six-month visitor’s visa on arrival in the UK.
“Once they enter the country, they will get rid of the Malaysian passports,” claimed Kembara UK chief executive Ishak Gaffar, whose company conducts tours from here to other European countries, as well as the United States.
The issue has placed the “visa-free” status of Malaysian passport holders in jeopardy, as the UK starts clamping down on foreigners staying illegally in the country to work.
If the UK government imposes an additional visa requirement on Malaysians, it will be bad news for tour operators like Ishak, as his predominantly Malaysian clientele will not only be required to apply for a visa prior to entering the UK, but also other European Union countries, which may follow suit.
The authorities here are also mulling the idea of imposing “security bonds” on visitors from high-risk countries to tackle the problem of visa abuse.
Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK Datuk Seri Zakaria Sulong said there were no official statistics on the number of Malaysians who had overstayed.
“The British immigration authorities are strict in dealing with overstayers and will not compromise on the matter, although the country continues to welcome genuine Malaysian tourists, students and businessmen.
“I hope Malaysians respect and obey British laws and don’t abuse their visas.”
Zakaria could not say if the “visa overstayers” issue would be deliberated on during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his British counterpart, David Cameron, tomorrow.
Najib, who arrived in London on Monday, is on a four-day working visit to the UK. The highlight of his visit is the launch of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment project with Cameron tomorrow.
The multi-billion ringgit project is to be undertaken by a Malaysian consortium, comprising Sime Darby Bhd, SP Setia Bhd and Employees Provident Fund.
The overstayer issue has been one of the biggest challenges faced by the UK immigration system and UK Border Agency.
The abuse prompted the authorities here to mull the idea of imposing “security bonds” on visitors from high-risk countries to tackle the problem.
Bernama reports that Zakaria said the British home minister was concerned about the visa abuse, since foreigners who overstayed had abused the country’s National Health Service and other benefits meant for its people.
He said Malaysia was currently in the top 10 countries for illegal overstayers in the UK.
The commission was assisting overstayers, who did not want to continue staying in the country as illegal immigrants, to return home.
Malaysia is among the Commonwealth countries whose nationals are allowed to enter the UK without a visa for a period of not more than six months.
