British passports for sale

Controversial plans to attract wealthy investors would amount to letting them buy a British passport, critics claim

Foreign millionaires will be able to ‘buy’ visas to live in Britain under radical plans drawn up by government advisers.

Migration Advisory Committee suggests people who give money to schools, universities or hospitals should be ‘let in’ to the UK.

It also proposes holding auctions for visas to be sold to the highest overseas bidder, but MPs warn the plan would bring ‘no benefit to the citizens of this country’.

The plan is likely to prove highly controversial, because the Home Office has previously opposed plans by other EU countries to effectively sell citizenship which would give them the right to settle in Britain.

Professor Sir David Metcalf, chairman of the MAC, told MPs that Britain had to examine new ways to attract wealthy investors to the country.

He said: ‘It may very well be that we should be auctioning some of these slots/

‘There should be proper discussion about it. Equally it may very well be that we should be letting people in if they endow a Cambridge college, a major teaching hospital or the London School of Economics with £10 million.’

The committee has been asked to examine the issue by Home Secretary Theresa May, and is expected to submit a report in February.

But giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee, Sir David set out how an auction might work.

One option would see wealthy foreigners making investments of £1million, £5million or £10million in government bonds or UK businesses.

 

In return, the investor would be able to apply to stay in the UK for two, three or five years and after that could apply for UK citizenship.

source-dailym