LONDON — Days after saying that it was about to suspend a controversial visa program that gives wealthy investors a fast track to British residency, the government said on Wednesday that the program remained in force, without providing an explanation.

Last week, the immigration minister, Caroline Nokes, announced that the special visas would be temporarily suspended from midnight on Friday as part of a drive to crack down on corruption and organized crime. The government said it would overhaul the program, which has been widely criticized as allowing foreigners with ill-gotten gains to buy their way into the country and launder their money in Britain.

But several days after its announced deadline, the government still had not put in place new restrictions on what are formally called Tier 1 visas and commonly known as golden visas. That allowed immigration lawyers to continue submitting applications.

A spokesman for the Home Office confirmed on Wednesday that the visas had not been suspended, while reaffirming the government’s commitment to overhauling the program. “A further announcement will be made in due course,” the spokesman said, declining to provide any more information.