英國海關不讓遊客輕易過關

“UK Border” is the sign that greets passengers arriving at Heathrow. The airport is not on the border. It is in a west London suburb. But the wording carries a message: “You are approaching a barrier. Do not expect an easy time.”

遊客抵達希思羅機場後，首先映入眼簾的是“英國邊境”這個標記。該機場並沒有位於英國邊境，而是位於倫敦西部郊區。但這樣的措辭傳遞一個信息：“你正在接近一道屏障。別指望輕鬆過關。”

The government’s online visa and immigration page is just as forbidding. This week, below the link to visa applications, were three news stories. The first was about a health surcharge for temporary migrants. The second reported on a London-based Moldovan accountant who was fined for providing unregulated immigration advice. The third said that “nearly 800 foreign criminals are being kicked out of the country”.

英國政府的在線簽證和移民頁面也同樣令人望而生畏。上週，在簽證申請鏈接下面有三條新聞。第一條是關於臨時移民的醫保附加費。第二條講的是一名駐倫敦的摩爾多瓦會計師因提供不受監管的移民建議而被罰。第三條稱“近800名外國罪犯被踢出國境”。

These are all important issues. But what would it cost, apart from a few buckets of paint and a little computer work, if the government’s information page and the sign at Heathrow — and all Britain’s entry points — said “Welcome to the UK”?

這些問題都很重要。但如果英國政府的信息頁面以及希思羅機場（乃至英國所有入境口岸）的標記都寫上“歡迎來英國”，除了幾桶油漆以及少量電腦工作以外，還需要付出什麼代價呢？

The overwhelming majority of those visiting have no intention of committing crimes or using UK hospitals. They want to do business or have a good time.

絕大多數前往英國的遊客無意犯罪或利用英國的醫院。他們是爲了做生意或者玩的開心。

But these visitors have been lumped with immigrants. I do not object to immigrants; I am one. But large numbers of Britons do. The Conservatives went into the election repeating their commitment to reduce annual net migration to tens of thousands and they won a majority.

但這些遊客被英國政府與移民歸爲一類。我並不反對移民；我就是一個移民。但很多英國人反對。英國保守黨在競選期間再度承諾將每年淨移民數量降至數萬人，結果該黨贏得了議會多數席位。

But this government is committed to business too — and tourism is one of the UK’s most important. The industry accounted for 9 per cent of gross domestic product and 10 per cent of employment in 2013, according to figures cited in a Commons committee report in March.

但英國政府還致力於商業，而旅遊業是英國最爲重要的行業之一。根據下議院一個委員會3月一份報告所援引的數據，旅遊業佔英國2013年國內生產總值(GDP)的9%，就業的10%。

Almost one-third of UK jobs created over the past three years have been in tourist-related businesses.

在英國過去3年創造的就業中，有近三分之一是在旅遊相關企業。

Tourists have a choice of countries to visit, and they are put off by being told they are not welcome. Some in the previous and current Tory administration understand this. Battles over the balance between controlling immigration and attracting tourists have pitted top Conservatives against each other.

遊客是可以選擇自己要去哪個國家的，如果被告知自己不受歡迎，他們會產生反感。英國前任和現任保守黨政府的一些人明白這點。圍繞控制移民與吸引遊客之間平衡的分歧，致使保守黨高層人物互相對立。

For years, the argument was over visas for Chinese visitors. Tourists from China can apply for a Schengen visa, which gives them the right to travel to 26 European countries. They need a separate visa for the UK, which is not party to the Schengen border-free travel agreement.

多年來，他們的辯論以中國遊客的簽證申請爲焦點。中國的遊客可以申請申根簽證(Schengen)，這種簽證賦予他們在26個歐洲國家旅遊的權利。他們需要另外申請一個簽證才能來英國，英國沒有加入取消邊境控制的《申根協定》。

It is a hassle. Of Chinese travellers to Europe, 94 per cent apply for a Schengen visa only, Paul Barnes of the UK China Visa Alliance lobbying group told me. The group asked the government to agree to joint UK and Schengen visa applications. In 2012, the Financial Times reported that David Cameron and George Osborne, the chancellor, were frustrated that Theresa May, then — as now — home secretary, had not made progress on this.

這是個麻煩。遊說組織——英國對華簽證聯盟(UK China Visa Alliance)的保羅•巴爾內斯(Paul Barnes)告訴我，在前往歐洲的中國遊客中，有94%只申請申根簽證。該組織促請英國政府同意英國/申根簽證合併申請。2012年，英國《金融時報》報道稱，戴維•卡梅倫(David Cameron)和財政大臣喬治•奧斯本(George Osborne)失望地發現，時任（現在仍擔任此職）內政大臣特里薩•梅伊(Theresa May)沒有在這方面取得進展。

She eventually budged. Chinese tourists can now fill in one form, but they still have to make a special visit to a UK-appointed company to be photographed and fingerprinted.

她最終做出了讓步。中國遊客現在只需填寫一張申請表格，但他們仍需專門拜訪一家由英國指定的公司進行拍照和錄指紋。

Ms May also proposed visa restrictions for Brazilians, which she put on hold after protests from cabinet members and Robert Halfon, Tory MP and co-chairman of the British-Brazil parliamentary group.

梅伊還曾提議對巴西人實行簽證限制，在內閣成員以及保守黨議員、英國巴西議會組織聯合主席羅伯特•哈爾豐(Robert Halfon)提出抗議後，她擱置了該提議。

In addition, she abandoned a scheme for a £3,000 bond for visitors from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

此外，她還放棄了對印度、尼日利亞、巴基斯坦、肯尼亞、斯里蘭卡和柬埔寨的遊客收取3000英鎊押金的計劃。

All these proposals left a residue of hurt, as have the government’s policies on foreign students at UK universities — like tourism, a sector of great importance to the British economy.

所有這些提議都留下了傷痕，就像英國政府針對在英國大學就讀的外國留學生的政策那樣。與旅遊業一樣，教育產業對於英國經濟也非常重要。

The government has included foreign students in its immigration target, in spite of representatives from every corner of UK business asking it not to.

英國政府將外國留學生納入其移民限制目標，儘管英國商界各行各業的代表都請求政府不要這麼做。

It also restricted the right of foreign graduates to work for a limited period after their degrees. The all-party parliamentary group on migration, which includes Conservatives, said some students were instead going to university in Australia.

英國政府還限制了外國畢業生在取得學位後工作一段時間的權利。英國議會跨黨派移民小組（包括保守黨成員）表示，一些學生轉而選擇申請澳大利亞的大學。

In January, we reported that Mr Osborne had quashed plans by Ms May to clamp down further.

今年1月，本報報道稱，奧斯本阻止了梅伊提出的進一步限制計劃。

What will the new government’s direction be? John Whittingdale, the new culture secretary whose brief includes tourism, chaired the committee that produced the report explaining the sector’s importance. Both Mr Osborne and Ms May would like to succeed Mr Cameron. The battles are likely to continue.

英國新政府的政策將往何處去？職責範圍涵蓋旅遊業的新任文化大臣約翰•惠廷戴爾(John Whittingdale)曾擔任一個委員會的主席，該委員會發表的報告解釋了文化產業的重要性。奧斯本和梅伊都希望成爲卡梅倫的繼任人。角力可能會繼續。