KUALA LUMPUR, 5 Nov 2008: Malaysians travelling to Britain will still get to enjoy six months of visa free travel despite changes to the United Kingdom’s visa arrangements, British High Commisioner to Malaysia Boyd McCleary said today.
“I would like to reassure Malaysians that genuine travellers remain welcome in Britain as they have always been. There is for now at least no general visa requirement for Malaysians.
“Malaysian visitors to the UK enjoy six months visa free travel. The only people who require visas at present are those who plan to stay for longer than six months, to work or to study,” he said in a statement here today.
McCleary issued the statement in response to ongoing media coverage of changes to the UK’s visa arrangements.
He explained that the UK was introducing a Points Based System for assessing visa applications, similar to the system used by Australia, adding that it will be introduced in stages over the coming months, depending on visa category.
He said the first stage was introduced at the end of June and the next, covering skilled workers with job offers, would go live at the end of this month.
On the problem of illegal migration to the UK, McCleary said the UK was addressing the problem under a separate process called the Visa Waiver Test and for Malaysians, the country was working closely with the Malaysian authorities and getting excellent cooperation on it.
“A decision will be made on the outcome of this process early next year,” he added.
On 3 Nov, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had said Malaysians who had overstayed and are working without proper permits in the UK must return home. — Bernama
