UK Adds 5 More Countries To The UK Visa National List

Last Updated On May 30, 2024,
Categories: UK & Uk Visit Visa
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The UK government has made a significant change in their visa policies this month and it might affect your travel plans. So stick with us till the end.

Starting from this month, July 2023, people from these five countries:

Dominica
Honduras
Namibia
Timor-Leste
Vanuatu

Will need to apply for UK visitor visas and direct airside transit visas. It’s not as simple as packing your bags and hopping on the plane anymore. But don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the changes and what they mean for you.

In essence, If you’re a citizen of these countries and you’re planning to visit or transit through the UK, you’ll need to make a formal application. This also goes out to all the creative workers out there who are looking to engage in the UK for three months or less. Oh, and just a heads up, There’s going to be a visa fee involved, and it’s due to increase soon.

But don’t panic just yet.

There are some transitional arrangements in place. If you have a travel booking made before 15:00 BST on 19 July 2023, and you’re set to arrive on or before 16 August 2023, you’re still good to go without a visa. For those of you who haven’t booked yet but were planning to travel in the next three to four weeks, you might need to hit the pause button and defer your arrangements for now.

So, you might be wondering why these changes have come into effect. Well, the Home Office had its reasons. They’ve expressed concerns about citizenship by investment schemes in Dominica and Vanuatu. They’ve also noted a surge in asylum claims at the border by citizens of Honduras and Namibia. And for Timor-Leste, there’s been an increase in non-genuine visits. All these factors have contributed to these changes.

We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on UK immigration.