Improperly prepared applications and poor documentation have been cited as two of the most common reasons for the low success rate of Jamaican applicants for British visas.

Figures for 2005-2006 indicate that while 51 per cent of all Jamaican visa applicants were successful in their bid to enter the United Kingdom (UK) the success rate for the rest of the Caribbean was 93 per cent. In the last calendar year, there were 18,000 Jamaican visa applications to Britain but the success rate remains low.

This was some of the information which was disclosed last weekend at a Jamaica National Building Society-sponsored information seminar at the Brent Town Hall in North London. On hand to address the gathering was the entry clearance manager at the British High Commission in Kingston, Lynn Ballard, who acknowledged the high refusal rate for Jamaican visa applicants to the United Kingdom.

She said the data indicated that improperly prepared applications and poor documentation were major factors for this high refusal rate. "We are trying to take decisions objectively and to make our decision to grant visas fair and reasonable," she assured. She also said that her department was committed to making the visa application process transparent.

Also at the meeting was Temitope Olodo, assistant director of community cohesion at the Border and Immigration Agency. He and Ms. Ballard spoke of the changes which have been made to the visa regime, including new regulations for student visas and the introduction of a points system for work permits.