London, June 25 (PTI): Britain today scrapped a plan to impose financial bonds as guarantees to ensure that family visitors from India and elsewhere would leave the country on expiry of their visas.

The government said it would introduce a new sponsored family visitor category in which licensed sponsors would vouch for family visits.

“The current definition of ‘family member’ will remain unchanged, allowing spouses, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles and first cousins to come to the UK by this route,” the statement said.

According to the scrapped plan, families sponsoring a visit by a relative would have had to cough up a “bond” which would be forfeited if the visitor did not return on time.

The new plan was to ensure that the UK remained an attractive tourism destination, while deterring those seeking to break the rules, a government statement said.

The changes were announced following a three-month consultation with communities abroad as well as in the UK.