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UK warns Visa applicants
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, Jan 15, Ghanadot - The British High Commission has
warned visa applicants against submitting forged and
fictitious documents, saying offenders risk being
prosecuted.
Nicholas Westcott, the British High Commissioner to Ghana,
who gave the warning in an interaction with the media in
Accra, said submitting forged documents is criminal and is
good grounds for visa refusal.
Offenders, he stressed, are liable to prosecution by the
Ghana Police, adding, “The penalties for giving false
information or documents are increasingly severe, so don’t
do it.”
The British High Commission, between October to December
last year, tracked 349 forged documents and arrested 243
people for presenting forged documents.
The media Open Day forms part of the UK Border Agency (UKBA)
efforts to communicate its works in Ghana, including
requirements for visa processing system.
As part of the day, journalists were taken through the visa
application centre at Labone and the visa section at the
British High Commission, during which journalists were given
an overview of the full range of UKBA’s work and detailed
information on how the Embassy handles and considers visa
applications.
The High Commission said applicants could give themselves
better chances of securing visas by providing all the
information needed and avoiding any forgery, stressing
applicants should be honest about applications.
“Our job is to make the visa process as swift, efficient,
fair and transparent as possible. We want to give a good
service to every visa applicant, whatever the outcome of the
process”.
Dr. Westcott said though it is part of human evolution and
human nature for people to migrate and travel from one place
to another, the creation of nation states, frontiers and
borders have changed the ways this movement could happen,
explaining ‘that is why almost all countries now exert some
control over who can travel and who can stay there’.
In the case of the UK, Dr. Westcott said it has chosen to
maintain strict control over who can and cannot travel into
it, even though its doors are wide open to legitimate
visitors.
“Most people want to travel to visit friends and relations,
to see foreign countries, to study or not work. The majority
will have a legitimate reason to do that.
But there are always some who wish to commit crimes or acts
of terrorism, traffic drugs or other contraband, or take
work contrary to the laws of that land”.
Highlighting UKBA’s achievements and improvement of its
services as well as new initiatives, Simon Peachey, the
Regional Manager, said the UK continues to make changes
designed to improve its border security and its ability to
attract legitimate travelers and trade.
Notable among these changes are law enforcement referral
programme, biometrics (fingerprints and digital photo),
online applications available and the points-based system.
He said a number of customers preferred to apply online,
adding that the intake in Ghana has increased from 5 per
cent to 40 per cent in the last 44year.
Recent changes to the application centre, he said, made it
more customer-friendly, in addition to innovations this year
which include internet, courier services and SMS application
tracking which informs applicants of their visa application
status.
According to Mr. Peachey, the Embassy has concealed the
interview session. It handled over 11,000 applications
between January to September last year within 20 working
days.
He maintained that genuine, objective and reliable
supporting evidence is critical to the success of a visa
application.
“We have access to a wide range of information, including;
all previous applications to travel to the UK, previous
sponsorship of an application to travel to the UK, a
database tracking when individuals enter and leave the UK
and UK immigration biometric database covering all previous
asylum claims.
"It also entails all those involved in an immigration
offence as well as all those removed from the UK and UK
police biometric database”.
Mr. Peachey was however quick to point out that customers
still need to supply documentary evidence for key elements
of their application, citing employment or financial
circumstances as well as originals of supporting documents.
“We understand customers may not have access to some
documents. We ask that this be explained clearly on the
application form. Do not be persuaded to buy false or forced
documents”.
During the tour to the visa section, Stuart Gardner, the
Entry Clearance Manager, said the Embassy has a way of
tracking both genuine and non-genuine information of all
applicants, and that every applicant is treated on merit.
He disabused the mind of the public that visas are issued to
applicants who have a travelling track record, explaining
that visas are issued based on genuine document.
Formed in April 2008 to improve UK’s border security and
manage migration to the UK, UKBA provides 2.5million
applications every year, enforced customer regulations and
considers asylum and citizenship applications in the UK.
Ghanadot
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