Foreigners must disclose criminal records to come to UK

It means the scheme would not have covered the case of the killer of Alice Gross, the 14-year-old schoolgirl who went missing from her west London home in August last year and was later found murdered.

Arnis Zalkalns, a 41-year-old Latvian immigrant, had been named as a suspect in her disappearance but his body was later found hanging in woodland nearby.

He was a convicted killer when he arrived in Britain, having previously served seven years for murdering his wife Rudite in Latvia.

James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said: "Foreign criminals have no place in the United Kingdom and this scheme will help keep them out.

"Since 2010, checks on foreign nationals going through the UK criminal justice system have increased by more than 1,000 per cent, helping ensure more foreign criminals are taken off our streets and making our communities safer.

"But we want to go further still by preventing these people getting into the country in the first place. Mandatory police certificates will serve as an additional tool to help us achieve this.”

The Home Office also confirmed the scheme will not apply to short-term visa routes because it would be a “disproportionate requirement” for millions of visitors coming to Britain.

A spokesman confirmed the roll-out of the scheme will depend on the results of the first stage of the investor and entrepreneur routes, known as “Tier 1” visas under the Government’s points-based immigration system.

The new requirements will apply to all nationalities who are applying under the Tier 1 routes, even if they are citizens of countries such as the United States who do not require a visa to visit this country.

“A US national or any other non-visa national coming to the UK as a Tier 1 investor or entrepreneur still requires entry clearance, even if they don’t necessarily need a visa,” the spokesman said.

“Therefore they will still need to produce a police certificate.”

Not all countries have a direct equivalent of Britain’s criminal records checking authority, now known as the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Government spokesman said it would be possible for foreigners who have lived in a country which does not have a similar service to obtain an exception – or partial exception – from the rules.

But they will have to provide evidence that they have made efforts to undergo a criminal record check, he added.

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