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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/03/nvisa03.xml

“US pushes for visa control on Pakistani Britons”

By Alex Spillius in Washington and Philip Johnston
Last Updated: 3:36am BST 03/05/2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Travel restrictions could be imposed by America on 800,000 British citizens of Pakistani origin because of concerns about terrorism, it emerged yesterday.

The move has been prompted by fears that British Muslim men were behind several major bomb plots.

On Monday, five men - four with Pakistani backgrounds - were convicted of plotting to attack a shopping centre, a nightclub and other targets with home-made fertiliser bombs. Last summer, MI5 foiled an alleged plot for suicide attacks on transatlantic aircraft.

The Americans have been concerned that their principal security risk could actually come from Britain, with whom they operate a visa waiver scheme. Since 2004, Britons travelling to the US do not need a visa if they have a machine-readable passport issued since 1991.

Michael Chertoff, the US homeland security secretary, has reportedly told the Government that British Pakistanis should apply for a visa before travelling to America.

The Foreign Office said last night any such plan would be resisted although the Americans would be entitled to introduce a new visa regime unilaterally.”