The UK border agency has announced that it may introduce visas to the
UK for visitors from Dominica and St Lucia, after analyzing the results
of a Visa Waiver Test on seven countries in the eastern Caribbean.

The Visa Waiver Test is carried out to determine the risk that a
specific countries' citizens potentially pose to the UK in terms of
illegal immigration, crime and security, to help decide where visas to
the UK may be required.
It also helps the government determine whether the visa regimes are in
the right places.

The Test was announced in 2007 when travel from any country beyond the
European Economic Area and Switzerland was measured against a range of
criteria including illegal immigration, crime and security concerns. The
assessment found that there was a need for introducing visas to the UK
for a number of currently visa free countries, based on the current
level of risk posed to the UK by sufficient numbers of their nationals. A
UK visa regime is a simple but very effective immigration, crime and
security control measure.

In this case results of the test showed a strong case for introducing
visas to the UK for citizens of Dominica and St Lucia. The UK government
will now work with these two countries and try to resolve the its
concerns during a six-month period.

The final decision on visitor visa regimes will be taken until the end
of the six-month period after all relevant factors are considered.

Written by Lucy Johnson