NZers may face end of ancestral visas to UK

New Zealanders who have been relying on having a British-born grandma or grandpa to gain easy access to the EU may find the route blocked.

The Times reported yesterday that a rejig of immigration rules could end the entry and settlement rights of New Zealanders and other Commonwealth citizens with British grandparents.

Many New Zealanders have relied on an "ancestral-visa" scheme to be allowed to enter Britain and work there.

In Wellington, British High Commission spokesman Bryan Nicolson said immigration policies were constantly under review. The high commission had asked London to clarify the changes being signalled in newspaper reports.

The Times reported that a new points-based system could end the ancestral-visa scheme.

Immigration and asylum have recently been controversial topics in Britain, with tabloid newspapers labelling the Government's policy "chaos".

Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party and the main opposition Conservatives campaigned on a hardline approach to immigration and asylum in May's general election, amid claims the system was being abused.

The Home Office has been considering sweeping changes to the immigration system, under which low-skilled workers from outside the European Union will not be eligible to settle in Britain.

"We are consulting on a new points system for managed migration to cover routes to work, study and train in the UK," a Home Office spokesman said.

- NZPA