The statement came following Britain's first global review, or visa waiver test, of who needs a visa to come to the United Kingdom. All non-European countries were reviewed.
The results of the test showed a strong case for introducing visa regimes for 11 countries - Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela - with a combined population of over 300 million people.
"Three quarters of the world's population need to pass a visa check to come to Britain," Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said, as quoted on the Home Office's website. "We cannot and will not shy away from going wider and will wherever we think there's a risk to the U.K."
The government said no final decision would be made until early 2009.
