UK Conservative Party Plans Visa System for EU Visitors Post-Brexit

EU Flag and Union Jack - Schengen Visa UK Brexit

There is little doubt that the Brexit decision on the part of the UK voter will have ramifications for travel between Great Britain and the continent for years to come.

But one thing that many voters didn’t consider when initially casting their decision is just how much things would change.

Once and open and free zone of movement, the passageways between the UK and the EU will be regulated post-Brexit in one of the biggest changes to come to international travel in decades.

And the Tories are already planning just such a mechanism for handling travelers into and out of the UK from the European Union.

Their proposed visa system for European Union citizens combines a variety of models and seeks to both maintain current levels of economic activity while drilling down into specific areas in the future as targets for immigration – healthcare being chief among them.

Building out a system that not only allows for efficient business travel and tourism but also allows for EU citizens to work and live in Britain is critical to the success of any post-Brexit economic arrangement dnd the UK Conservative Party knows this.

The biggest change that is coming for all parties involved is the proposed scheme that would force travelers to pre-register with the UK before traveling to that country.

Not only does this add an extra layer to any travel into the United Kingdom but it adds a serious barrier where once there were none at all.

This need for Electronic Travel Authorization prior to entry into the United Kingdom is being touted by the Tories as way the United Kingdom can take back control of its borders, though some are skeptical of that notion and point instead to the delaying effect this electronic system will have on the relatively free movement of travel enjoyed now.

For those citizens that were promised that Brexit would mean relatively few changes to the status quo, this travel restriction, while not the most intrusive change on a daily basis for most UK voters, seems to indicate that a post-Brexit Great Britain will face a vastly different relationship with their continental partners moving forward.

In discussing the proposed changes, Home Secretary Priti Patel said that, “When people voted to leave in 2016, they were voting to take back control of our borders…It is a sad fact that drugs and guns reach our streets from Europe, fueling violence and addiction. People traffickers don’t think twice about risking people’s lives for profit. And most shockingly of all we know that terrorists have been able to enter the country by exploiting free movement.”

All of this comes ahead of the implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorization System in January 2021 which will become mandatory at that time for nationals from 60 nations across the world, one of which is the United Kingdom.

Patel stresses that Brexit fundamentally changes the tenor of the relationship between the UK and the continent and necessitates building out their own system – and quickly.

“By quitting the entire system of EU security and justice, we will no longer have real-time access to a host of critical databases or access to the European Arrest Warrant…This will undermine the ability of our police and border agencies to apprehend terrorists and organized criminals, and could even make us a safe haven for fugitives fleeing the justice systems in the EU.”.

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