The UK Home Office is due to announce that it is to introduce rules that will require South Africans to obtain a UK visit visa to get into the country.
The measures are intended to limit the exploitation of the route by illegal immigrants, terror suspects and people smugglers.

The plans are to be presented to the House of Commons today (9 February 2009) by Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office opposed the idea but the Home Office has apparently won the battle. The new rules follow warnings, from the government and UK immigration to the South African government, over the ease with which non-south-African citizens can obtain South African passports and then use to travel without a UK visa.

Calls also came from UK law enforcement agencies who have become increasingly concerned that the route between South Africa and the UK is being exploited by criminals. Immigration minister, Phil Woolas, said, “the government said it would get tough and we meant it.

The move is likely to prove controversial as South Africans account for the fifth largest group of UK visitors, after Americans, Australians, Canadians and Japanese. 420,000 South Africans visited the UK in 2007 and 1,190 were refused entry.