The UK Home Affairs President Deputy Rob Prow has backed the country’s plans to introduce the digital visa scheme, also known as the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
According to Prow, the scheme was essential for the country’s safety and security, stressing that the government took the right decision, VisaGuide.World reports.
As BBC explains, Prow’s statement on the matter comes after Simon Calder, who is a travel expert, said that the digital visa scheme would cost the UK around £4 billion ($4.88 billion) a year in lost revenue.
Calder said that the new scheme would be “desperate for the tourism industry”, which according to him, has had tough years.
We are into the millions for the impact it will have on Jersey and Guernsey, and of course, unfortunately, reputationally, it doesn’t do the Channel Islands any good either.
On the other hand, Prow emphasised that this is the right decision and will, in the long term, have positive results for the country, especially when it comes to its security.
This is for safety and security reasons, this is about preventing people who we think could do society harm from entering the UK or the Common Travel Area.
New ETA Requirement Will Specifically Affect French Day Trippers
UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is a permit that will need to be obtained by foreigners who currently do not need a visa to be permitted entry into the UK.
The scheme already applies to certain foreigners, and it is expected to expand to include nationals from tens of other countries by April 2025.
Among those who will need to obtain an ETA to enter the UK soon are also EU citizens, which has sparked concerns about current effective schemes, specifically the one that the UK has with France.
Currently, there is an effective scheme that permits French day trippers into the country with only identity cards. However, as soon as the ETA requirement starts applying for citizens of France, they will need to travel with their passports.
The ability for nationals, particularly French nationals, to travel on identity cards is diminishing, and the ETA scheme means visas are only issued to passport holders.
Commenting on the matter, Prow said that this is an international phenomenon around the world, stressing that passports have to be used when entering the UK. The same noted that they have always warned that this scheme would be time-limited.