The home secretary has announced plans for a US Esta-style visa for entry into the UK for foreign visitors.
Priti Patel made the announcement as part of a wider speech on the future of immigration that includes scrapping ID cards.
Patel tweeted confirmation of her plans this afternoon – but did not specify how much such as scheme might cost.
In a virtual speech hosted by Conservative think tank Bright Blue, she said: “My number one priority is the safety of the British public. Security is at the heart of our new plan for immigration.
We’re introducing a fully digital border system to make Great Britain safer:
Making it easier to ban serious & dangerous foreign criminals with a US-style ETA.
Making the system easier to navigate for businesses.
Allowing us to count people in & out of the UK for the 1st time. pic.twitter.com/CZhVAk680G
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) May 24, 2021
“This year, we will end the use of insecure ID cards for people to enter our country, and we will apply tougher UK criminality rules.
“We are working on further reforms, including electronic travel authorisations, as part of a simpler and more secure universal permissions to travel.
“Our new plan will make it easier to identify potential threats before they reach the border. Through targeted and more effective interventions, from co-ordinated multi-agency operations, our new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and count people out of the country.
“We will have a far clearer picture of who is here and whether they should be, and we will act when they are not.”
The new UK system would also apply to EU arrivals, apart from those who have the existing right to live in the UK.
The EU has developed a similar Esta-style scheme, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (Etias), which it plans to implement gradually.
It is scheduled to become available to the public in late 2022. After an initial grace period, it will become mandatory for all citizens who previously did not require a visa to visit the EU. This is likely to include UK visitors.