Visa policy of the United Kingdom

The visa policy of the UK also applies to the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, which each operate their own immigration enforcement and have separate work permit systems.

[9] This means that most citizens of Ireland are exempt from the requirement to hold a visa, residence permit or travel authorisation to enter, study and work in the UK or the Crown Dependencies, and vice versa.

UK Border Force officers can grant leave to enter via fax, email, or orally, including by telephone, for non-visa nationals visiting for up to 6 months.

Under the Immigration (Control of Entry through Republic of Ireland) Order 1972, non-visa nationals are automatically granted 'deemed leave' for 6 months, without the right to work, and without receiving a passport stamp.

[24][25] Similarly, travel between the UK and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man involves no routine immigration checks, and no passport stamp is issued.

[26][27] Travellers arriving in the Crown Dependencies directly from the Republic of Ireland are similarly exempt from routine checks and automatically receive deemed leave for 6 months, with no right to work.

If approved, the ETA is valid for stays up to six months for a duration of two years or, if shorter, the date of the holder's passport expiring.

[37][38] Since 20 May 2019, citizens from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States generally do not receive a stamp, whether using ePassport gates or a staffed desk.

[39][40] However, three categories of these nationals must receive a stamp: those entering for a permitted paid engagement,[41] those with a Tier 5 Certificate of Sponsorship (up to 3 months),[42] or those otherwise required to visit a staffed desk.

[51] Visa exemption: Unknown: Andorra, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Vatican Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Grenada, Ireland, Kiribati, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago and Tuvalu have never needed a visa to gain access to the United Kingdom Diplomatic and service passports: Cancelled:

The exemption applies where travellers: E-Visas such as those regularly issued by Australia or e-residence permits are not acceptable for landside transit.

[158] Exemptions from biometrics apply to diplomats, foreign officials, Commonwealth Forces, those transferring a visa vignette to a new passport, and travelers going directly to the Channel Islands or Gibraltar without passing through the UK or Isle of Man.

Visas were mutually abolished between the UK and France in July 1921, although this did not apply to French overseas territories or the rest of the British Empire.

[206] They were mutually reduced by 80 per cent on 1 April 1937; by February 1938, such fees had already been abolished between the US and most European countries,[207] but American citizens continued being required visas for entry into the UK until 1948.

After carrying out the review, in July 2008, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, announced to Parliament that 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) having taken into account the following factors (including the extent to which they were being addressed by the countries' authorities):[213][214][215] Following the July 2008 announcement, the UK Government entered into a 6-month period of 'detailed dialogue' with the governments of the 11 countries 'to examine how risks can be reduced in a way that obviates the need for a visa regime to be introduced'.

[216] The existing visa-free status for citizens of Botswana, Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago was maintained.

On 30 March 2010, Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, announced to Parliament that, having carried out a review of visa regimes in relation to Eastern Caribbean countries, 5 countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines) would have their visa-free status maintained.

At the same time, the UK Government would enter a six-month period of 'detailed dialogue' with the governments of 2 countries (Dominica and St Lucia), who would have to 'demonstrate a genuine commitment to put into effect credible and realistic plans, with clear timetables, to reduce the risks to the UK, and begin implementing these plans by the end of the dialogue period' to maintain their visa-free status.

[221] On 13 June 2011, new Immigration Rules were laid before Parliament that came into force on 4 July 2011 introducing a new streamlined application procedure (waiving the normal requirements to provide documentary evidence of maintenance and qualifications at the time of application) for some non-visa nationals from 'low-risk countries' who wish to study in the UK for more than 6 months and apply for Tier 4 entry clearance.

The following 15 countries and territories were categorised as 'low-risk' and included in 'Appendix H' of the Immigration Rules: Argentina, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

[222][223][224] Although the announcement did not relate to a Visa Waiver Test per se, it showed that the UK Border Agency considers some countries and territories in the list of visa-free nationalities to be lower risk than others.

[225][227] In March 2013, it was revealed that Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was considering removing Brazil from the list of visa-exempt nationalities due to concerns about illegal immigration, since Brazil was fifth in the top 10 of illegal immigrant nationalities in the UK according to Home Office figures for 2011, and was the only country on the list for which short-term visitors do not need a visa.

However, the UK Government later decided to retain the visa exemption for Brazilian citizens, a decision which was seen as attempting to develop closer trading links with Brazil.

[234] On April 9, 2020, the Home Office issued a new immigration rule imposing visa restriction on low-skilled people workers with effect from January 2021.

The restriction introduced a new point-based immigration system, allotting points for certain skills, salaries, qualification and shortage occupations.

2 Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia and the partially recognised republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia each span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.