Prime Minister David Cameron today revived the idea of immigrants from India and other non-EU countries furnishing financial bonds before being allowed to come to Britain, a move that has been promptly opposed.
In a major speech setting out how his government intended to curb immigration, he said here that officials had been asked to consider making financial bonds compulsory for British citizens seeking to bring spouses or family members from outside the EU.
Cameron said a sample of more than 500 family migration cases "found that over 70% of UK-based sponsors had post-tax earnings of less than 20,000 pounds a year".
"When the income level of the sponsor is this low, there is an obvious risk that the migrants and their family will become a significant burden on the welfare system and the taxpayer," he said.
The government, he said, had asked the Home Office's Migration Advisory Committee to look at the case for increasing the minimum level for appropriate maintenance.
"And we’re going to look at further measures to ensure financial independence: discounting promises of support from family and friends, and whether a financial bond would be appropriate in some cases," Cameron underlined.
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Similar proposals in the past had been vehemently opposed by the Indian community as well as the Indian government.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home affairs Select Committee, wanted Cameron to tread with 'extreme caution' on the proposal to impose bonds.
"This is the third time this proposal has been put on the table since 2000. It will antagonise settled communities and enrage our allies such as India. It was shelved before because it was unworkable," he said.
The Labour Party lawmaker said "a more effective method must be found in order for immigrants to pay for public services".