Thursday April 1, 2010 - The British government has announced that it is considering introducing a visa requirement for visitors from Dominica and St. Lucia.
In a statement to Parliament this week, the Labour government said the review was being undertaken as a result of the findings of a visa waiver test on seven countries in the Eastern Caribbean.
The test determined the risk that citizens of those countries potentially posed to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security, to help decide where visitors visas may be required.
The countries are Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Home Secretary Allan Johnson said the results of the test showed a strong case for introducing visa regimes for Dominica and St Lucia - though no details of shortcomings were released.
He said Britain will now work with the two nations to ensure that they take action to address the UK's concerns during a six-month mitigation period, which started on Monday.
No final decision will be taken until that period ends.
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines will retain their visa-free status for now.
Among former British colonies in Caricom, nationals of Jamaica and Guyana currently require visas to enter Britain.
Last year, Trinidad and Tobago was kept visa-free after passing the six-month test period that followed London's first global review of who needs a visa to visit the UK.
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