KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Genuine travellers from Malaysia are as welcome in Britain as they have always been.

This was the message from British High Commissioner Boyd McCleary in response to the media coverage of changes to the United Kingdom's visa arrangements.

He said Malaysia "is not being singled out" in the global changes to its visa application process.

"There is, for now at least, no general visa requirement for Malaysians. Malaysian visitors enjoy a six-month visa. Only those who plan to stay longer than six months to work or study require a visa," he said in a statement yesterday.

He also listed some of the changes in the way the British authorities manage its visa regime.

The UK is introducing a Points Based System for assessing visa applications similar to the system used by Australia. It will be introduced in stages. It is expected to simplify procedures by consolidating the 80 current routes for entry into the UK into just five main tiers, which does not mean that more people will require visas.

"Foreign nationals seeking to study, work or settle in the UK will still need to apply for a visa, as they currently do, but should find that the application process is more straightforward."

He said he UK was addressing the problem of illegal migration to the country.

"This separate process is called the Visa Waiver Test. We are working closely with the Malaysian authorities and are receiving excellent cooperation. A decision will be made on the outcome of this process early next year."