Mohammad Amir could be denied Visa for England tour

Pakistan’s ace bowler Mohammad Amir could be denied his visa for England tour due to his conviction in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Amir, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, were charged with spot-fixing during Pakistan’s tour to England in 2010.

Mohammad Amir, being a juvenile at that time, was subsequently banned by the ICC for a period of five years and sentenced to six months in a young offenders’ institute in 2011 after pleading guilty to the charges.

Now, as per the UK immigration laws, Amir could be stopped from entering the UK again. As per the laws, Amir’s visa could be stopped by the UK Home Office. In a section relating to refusing visas, the UK Home Office website states: “If a person has been sentenced to a period of between 12 months and less than 4 years imprisonment, the ECO [Entry Clearance Officer] must refuse the application until 10 years has passed since the end of the sentence.

The law stands valid if the person is deported from the nation. The thing that might eventually work out in Amir’s favor regarding the current British visa fiasco is the fact that he was not deported from the country at the end of his sentence. Unlike him, Salman Butt was deported after his 30-month prison term which will make him ineligible for a British visa for the next ten years.

Incidentally, Mohammad Amir had faced similar issues when the Pakistan’s team toured New Zealand. It was the series that marked the return of the fast bowler in International cricket. In that case too, the New Zealand immigration officers were not too keen on issuing the visa but had to clear ways for Amir due to pressure from the New Zealand Cricket board.

Also read – Younis Khan likely to be banned for walking out of the Pakistan Cup