Tonight:
4°c
A rioter who terrorised diners with an axe at McDonald's has been jailed for five years and three months - one of the toughest sentences for last summer's disturbances
More...
Britons could lose right to enter US without a visa
Last updated at 22:52pm on 03.05.07Britons could lose the privilege of visiting the U.S. without a visa because of fears over the terrorist threat from within the British Pakistani community.
U.S. security officials are deeply concerned at the ease with which young Britons who have trained in Pakistani terror camps can enter America under the visa-waiver programme.
Their concerns were heightened this week when five men, most of whom were Britons of Pakistani descent, were jailed for life for terrorism offences.
The leader of the terror cell, Omar Khyam, 25, had trained in Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan, while two of the July 7 suicide bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, had trained in Pakistan.
U.S. officials point out that any members of the two terror cells would have been able to enter the U.S. as holidaymakers using the visa-waiver system.
Michael Chertoff, the U.S. homeland security chief, believes it is unacceptable that Britons can enter his country without a visa while Pakistani citizens have to undergo rigorous screening to obtain one.
He is holding talks with British officials aimed at closing the "loophole".
One option on the table is to single out Britons of Pakistani descent and force them to complete a tough visa application.
The visa-waiver programme, which applies to Britain and several other countries, means Britons do not need a visa if they are travelling on a major airline or shipping line with a return ticket; are visiting for business, pleasure or in transit; do not plan to stay more than 90 days; and do not have a criminal record.
Some four million Britons visit the U.S. each year - the vast majority without visas - so Britain strongly opposes any change to the current system.
U.S. officials have repeatedly voiced their concerns that the system could be exploited by terrorists.
Among the options on the table in the talks between Britain and the U.S. was the total
scrapping of the waiver programme, the New York Times reported yesterday.
It said another option would be to single out Britons of Pakistani origin, requiring them to make visa applications for the U.S. and to declare details of visits to Pakistan. Each applicant would also have to undergo a face-to-face interview at a U.S. embassy.
British officials have told the U.S. this would lead to a bitter backlash from civil liberties campaigners.
It would also cause considerable embarrassment to Tony Blair, particularly as the majority of the British Pakistani community - which is some 800,000-strong - has traditionally voted Labour.
They have said the U.S. should simply deport Britons who fail screening once they arrive, pointing out that details of those visiting are sent in advance by airlines.
An estimated 400,000 Britons visit Pakistan each year and the U.S. accepts it is only a tiny minority such as Khyam and Khan who could pose a threat.
But that minority is enough, Mr Chertoff believes, to introduce controls to stop potential terrorists from Britain who have no criminal record. U.S. officials say at least four major terror trials are pending in the UK involving Britons of Pakistani origin who were unknown to the British authorities.
Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel told the New York Times that Khyam was the ' classic' UK-Pakistani connection that Al Qaeda had used since 9/11, adding: "His UK passport gave him international mobility."
A British Embassy official in Washington said the visa-waiver programme was valuable and London would oppose moves to scrap it. But he insisted Britain would not accept any special restrictions on British citizens of Pakistani heritage.
A State Department spokesman said the U.S. would "do what we can" to stop the visawaiver system being abused, but would not comment on whether it might be scrapped.
A British anti-terror investigator said yesterday: "We fully understand and share America's concerns.
"The potential threat is obvious and the British passport provides Al Qaeda operatives with the chance of entering into the heartland of their greatest declared enemy with relative ease. It poses a real problem."
Reader views (20)
I have recently just travelled to USA after around 6 years away. Before 6 years i used to visit every three years. However, on the most recent trip i was questioned pulled out of the Immigration cue and treated like a criminal. I wouldn't mind the security checks, but to be taken to a room at the back of the airport and questioned for three hours before being allowed to walk out of the airport really gave me a negative view and experience.
But i need to question one thing, the land of the free? Well after three hours of being treated like a crook, yeap.
- Imran, London, 20/12/2008 16:43
Report abuse
FOR MINNIE IN LOS ANGELES.
Methinks you have not studied your US history. The country was built on immigration and now you have a problem with illegals. If the US can´t control its borders surely, at least, it can control visitors arriving at an airport with a valid passport. Potentially a ´latino´ crossing the Rio Grande is as dangerous as an Anglo/ Pakistani arriving JFK with his UK passport for all to see and examine.
Perhaps you have also forgotten it was US citizens that blew up the building in Oklahoma.
- Peter Glazier, Sao Paulo - Brazil, 03/05/2007 14:41
Report abuse
Sam, London
Open your mind, the US is a fine place to both live and visit and it's true to say that muslims in this country (US) are better integrated than in the UK, incidents are very rare although there are loudmouth imams too.
There's a large mosque about a mile away and there's never been trouble even after 9/11.
- Stan, Expat, 03/05/2007 14:27
Report abuse
As a British born citizen of Pakistani descent, I would like to share my experiences. As someone who spent 10 years working for a major US bank and would regularly fly to NY, as well as holiday in the US, and lived for 2 years in NY, I have had regular dealings with the US Immigration and Visa authorities.
I have purposefully avoided travelling to Pakistan for family visits for over 25 years, and maintained a clean security profile (good reasons for visits to the US, airline executive club member, avoided travelling in the Muslim world etc).
This has not stopped me being screened extensively (often on visits within the same month) and asked the same questions every few trips causing huge delays and treating me like a criminal on every trip. And when travelling on business trips in a group often being singled out, causing much embarrassment.
I would happily undergo a one time check if this meant I was treated the same as all other non Muslim UK citizens on future trips.
And would understand that each trip to a nation deemed hostile to the US, would need to be declared on each visit. This information already exists somewhere in a database, so do not feel it is a loss of freedom.
But it would be nice to think that in this modern world, colour and race is not the only way to profile a terrorist.
- Zahid, London, 03/05/2007 14:06
Report abuse
Talking of Lunar House, do you remember when the illegal immigrants got jobs there and were handing out passports to all their friends?
Personally I think anyone wishing to visit the US should be made to sing the Star Spangled Banner on arrival...
- Marianne, SW France, 03/05/2007 14:05
Report abuse
No problem with cancelling the waiver programme on understanding that US citizens would require Visas to visit the EU.
- Peter Glazier, Sao Paulo - Brazil, 03/05/2007 13:30
Report abuse
When will the British government require all travellers from the USA to apply for a visa before entering this country?
- Elizabeth, London SW11, 03/05/2007 13:16
Report abuse
A few bad grapes have spoilt the whole vintage. People who hate the US such as home grown terrorists/hijackers and their brothers-in-arms, who've won the fight to remain here as well as harmless Susan Jones of Merseyside and Tarquin Smythington-Chatsworth from Hampshire can go to the States, slap their passports down and say "let me in, I'm British". That is about to change for everyone. You can't blame the US.
- Lorraine, Huddersfield, UK, 03/05/2007 13:08
Report abuse
Trevor Roll says: "... they should just remove all of the UK's visa priviledges or none". Those of us who are not hostile to the UK should not have our visa privileges removed. Penalising all Britains for the acts of a few is unacceptable. In addition, the Home Office should stop handing our British passports to anyone who rolls up to Lunar House in Croydon demanding one.
- Cameron, London, W2, 03/05/2007 11:31
Report abuse
You can't blame a country for trying to protect its Law Abiding population. It may become more and more difficult for any non USA citizens to enter the USA.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford, 03/05/2007 11:20
Report abuse
Why on earth should the entire UK population have their freedom to travel to the US severely curtailed because of the actions of a tiny minority within the Muslim community, which of itself only makes up 3% of the total population?
Why can't the Muslim community in the UK stand up and be counted, and effectively say "we accept there is a problem in our community with a small minority who want to commit terrorist acts, and until they have been rooted out, we will submit to more rigorous travel restrictions, for the sake of the country as a whole"?
And to those who ask who question would want to travel to America - I would!
- Ben, London, 03/05/2007 11:11
Report abuse
I don't have a Visa, this is the best news I've heard in ages!
- Rob Wakefield, United Kingdom, 03/05/2007 10:46
Report abuse
It seems to me that the Americans are going overboard with all these restrictions. They are not the first nation to have suffered a terrorist attack and they will not be the last. While I abhor the events of September 11, it seems that by placing all this restrictions and inconveniences, which are effectively changing our way of life, we are granting the terrorists a victory of sorts, as they have achieved their very aim of disturbing and changing our way of life. Terrorists are sophisticated and can enter any country any time they want with or without visa requirements, so all these restrictions do is inconvenience the innocent.
- Sahid K, London, 03/05/2007 10:41
Report abuse
I think this is an understandable concern on the part of the US administration. Given that most of both the 7/7 bombers and the recently thwarted bomb plotters were British born Muslims of Pakistani descent, it would have been easy for them to slip into the US and plan similar atrocities there. And if the US administration chooses to push this issue, I can see no other option than that UK nationals of Pakistani origin submit to more stringent entry requirements if they want to travel to the US - at least until the spectre of Islamic radicalism has been eradicated from our shores. We all know that it is only a tiny minority of Muslims in the UK who want to harm their country and other countries in the West, but why should the entire nation have their freedoms curtailed for the sake of a few?
- Ben, London, 03/05/2007 10:33
Report abuse
But it's not just Pakistanis, what about Saudis, Yemenis, egyptians and so on? Most of the Sept 11 hijackers were Saudi. Saying that if you are descended from people from this list of countries requires you to have a visa would be totally unworkable - how do you prove it? How easy would it be to make out you were of different origin?
A blanket ban is the only thing that can work.
Why anyone would want to go to the US is beyond me anyway...
- Jk, London, UK, 03/05/2007 10:19
Report abuse
But what about the fifth member of the team who was of Algerian descent? Discriminating against Britons of Pakistani descent is fairly pointless, they should just remove all of the UK's visa priviledges or none.
- Trevor Roll, London, 03/05/2007 10:18
Report abuse
And once again the US show us why guns and their people don't mix, they over react at everything and prefer to stain everybody with the same blood.
Personally, I wouldn't want to visit America and to live there would be hell on earth for me.
I would like to know how the muslim community is treated over there.
- Sam, London, 03/05/2007 09:55
Report abuse
A thought that strikes me is that these biometric passports were brought in so that people could continue to do the visa waiver thang with the USA. Obviously that is now all cobblers, so are the UK government going to drop these biometric passports? I won't hold my breath...
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark, 03/05/2007 09:46
Report abuse
London is already edging ahead of New York as the world's financial capital. Making it a lot harder for people to visit New York from London will increase that lead (so long as the measure isn't reciprocated). Why queue up at the US embassy to be treated like a terrorist when you can come to London no problem? The sooner they abolish the visa waiver scheme, the better.
- Andrew, Cambridge, 03/05/2007 09:21
Report abuse
I can't blame the US government. Why should they "benefit" from the inane immigration policies of successive politically correct British governments.
They actually care about their citizens.
- Minnie Ovens, Los Angeles, 03/05/2007 09:17
Report abuse
