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divdiv class=story-body readability=29 span class=story-date#13; span class=date3 November 2013/span#13;span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time00:53 ET/span#13; #13;/span#13;#13; #13;#13;#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1Plans for a £3,000 security bond for some high risk overseas visitors to the UK are to be abandoned, the Home Office has confirmed./p#13; pThe visa bond scheme was announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in June and was set to be introduced this month. /p#13; pA Home Office spokesman confirmed a a href=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/Sunday Times/a report that the policy would be scrapped./p#13; pThe decision is thought to have been taken after deputy prime minister Nick Clegg threatened to block it./p#13; pThe aim of the scheme was to reduce the number of people from some high risk countries - including India, Pakistan, and Nigeria - staying in the UK once their short-term visas had expired./p#13; pVisitors would have paid a £3,000 cash bond before arrival in the UK - forfeited if they failed make the return trip./p#13; span class=cross-head'Outrage'/span#13; pThe idea was first suggested by Mr Clegg in March./p#13; div class=story-feature wide readability=9#13; a class=hidden href=#story_continues_2Continue reading the main story/a h2Analysis/h2#13; !-- pullout-items--#13; #13; !-- pullout-body--#13; pThe scrapping of this bond will certainly prove embarrassing for Home Secretary Theresa May - and Labour will be keen to label it a U-turn./p#13; pThe visa bond policy has been somewhat divisive in the coalition government, but was intended to be a flagship policy to show the government was getting tough on immigration. /p#13; pIt's an issue it is keen to puff its chest out on in the face of the growing popularity of UKIP./p#13; pBut for now, the Home Office's immigration policy has hit a rough patch. /p#13; pLess than two weeks ago, a roll out of Home Office vans emblazoned with posters warning illegal immigrants to go home or face arrest was cancelled. /p#13; pThe home secretary herself was driven to describe them as a blunt instrument./p#13; #13; !-- pullout-links--#13; /div p id=story_continues_2But Business Secretary Vince Cable later claimed the deputy prime minister's plan, which had suggested a bond of £1,000, had been deliberately misinterpreted by some of their Conservative cabinet colleagues./p#13; pWhat Nick Clegg said was if somebody in the Indian sub-continent, for example, was turned down for a visa, they could, as an alternative, come up with a bond... But the way some of our colleagues interpreted was in a much more negative way, of saying that everybody who comes here should pay this very large bond, Mr Cable said in September./p#13; pMr Cable also criticised the level at which the bond was set and said that it had caused outrage in India./p#13; pHe said both he and Nick Clegg would be arguing in government for a much more sensible and flexible approach to the policy./p#13; pThe idea was also floated several times by the previous Labour government but never implemented./p#13; pThe announcement comes two weeks after a roll out of Home Office vans with posters warning illegal immigrants to go home or face arrest was cancelled. /p#13; pMrs May told MPs she accepted they had not been a good idea and were too much of a blunt instrument./p#13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center