31 March 2010 The government has announced that it is considering introducing a visa requirement on visitors to the UK from Dominica and St Lucia, after carrying out a Visa Waiver Test on seven countries in the eastern Caribbean.

The Visa Waiver Test determined the risk that these countries' citizens potentially posed to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security, to help decide where visitors visas may be required.

The results of the test showed a strong case for introducing visa regimes for Dominica and St Lucia.... The government will now work with these countries to ensure that they take action to address our concerns during a six-month mitigation period, which started yesterday.

No final decision on visa regimes will be taken until the end of the six-month period, and all relevant factors will be considered.

Already, three-quarters of the world's population need to apply for a visa if they want to visit the UK. You can download the Home Secretary's written ministerial statement from the right side of this page.