UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced the launch of a US-style digital visa system in Britain. The Home Secretary claims that the system will help the UK government accurately count, for the first time, the number of people entering and exiting the UK.
Under the new system, people travelling to the UK without a visa or immigration status would have to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) document – similar to the US ESTA. An ETA will automatically determine the eligibility of travellers for UK entry in advance, according to Patel.
The Home Office said it expects around 30 million ETA applications to be made each year. The plans to ‘digitise the border’ will officially be launched today as part of Patel’s widely criticised ‘New Plan for UK Immigration’, which seeks to overhaul the UK immigration and asylum system.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Monday described the recently signed Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) with India as a new “gold-standard” for immigration, which will open up opportunities for thousands of British and Indian citizens to live and work legally in each other’s countries.
In a major speech to mark the launch of a New Plan for Immigration , the Indian-origin Cabinet minister referenced the MMP signed with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his London visit earlier this month as a “ground-breaking” initiative that tackles illegal migration in both countries and paves the way for the UK government s “firm but fair” post-Brexit immigration system.
Synopsis
The post-Brexit changes will include the border being managed digitally, which the government says will be easier to navigate for businesses and allow for the first time to accurately count people in and out of the UK.
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The senior Indian-origin Cabinet minister is to confirm the so-called sweeping changes to the UK s immigration policy to streamline the way in which people come into the country on Monday.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to unveil a new US-style digital visa regime at the country s borders in order to measure immigration levels in and out of the country, according to UK media reports on Sunday.