In a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules published recently by the UK Government, it was announced that Colombian nationals travelling to the UK will require a visa. Since 2022, Columbian nationals have been able to enter the UK without applying for a visa in advance. However, amid Home Office concerns that Columbians are allegedly visiting the UK to work or claim asylum, the situation has been reversed and Columbian nationals must now get advanced permission to enter the UK.
What will change?
This change will likely affect businesses who receive visitors from Columbia for business purposes, as well as adding a layer of cost and administration to those travelling to the UK. Before allowing travel to the UK, the Home Office will assess applications based on the standards outlined in the Immigration Rules. An individual’s application for a visa may be rejected if the Home Office finds that they do not match the conditions, which would prohibit them from visiting or entering the UK. Without full and robust visit visa applications, businesses could find that that their Columbian counterparts are denied entry to the UK.
In light of this new scheme, the Immigration Rules will change. Consequently, a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) will be required for a Colombian Nationals to travel airside through the UK (including those who do not pass through UK border control or change airports and remain within the airport’s international transit area). Additionally, they will be removed from the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme (ETA), meaning Columbian nationals entering the UK will no longer be required to obtain an ETA.
When will this come into effect?
Whilst this change is effective immediately, Colombian nationals who have a confirmed travel reservation booked before to the policy’s implementation will be able to enter the UK during a transition period without a visa. This period will run until December 24, 2024, at 3:00 PM GMT.
If a Colombian national amends the date of travel on a confirmed booking to an earlier date that falls within the transition period, a visa would still be required.
The purpose of the transition period is to safeguard those who had already booked their travel before the announcement, maintain equity, and avoid operational difficulties. Given that visitor visas typically take three weeks to process, this window of time in theory gives impacted travellers enough time to apply for and obtain a visa. However, there will no doubt be disruption to travel plans over the coming months.
Changes for Ukrainian nationals
Another change brought in is the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE). Eligible family members of Ukraine nationals may apply for an extra 18 months of stay in the UK under this program. The current Ukraine Extension Scheme will end on 4 February 2025, and this new plan will take its place.
From 18 December 2024, time spent in Ukraine Schemes, including the UPE, will no longer be counted towards the ten-year qualifying period for long residence.
How can we help?
If you have any queries, including if you would like more information on how to support a visit visa application for a Columbian national, please get in touch with our Business Immigration team.