On November 26, 2024, the government of the UK made a significant change to its immigration rules. These changes concern visitors from Colombia and Ukraine. Effective 15:00 GMT on the 26th of November, the UK government requires a visa for every visitor coming in from Colombia.
As a result of the new requirement, the provision for Colombians to apply for an ETA, initially set to begin on November 27, 2024, was canceled due to the reinstated visa requirement. Those who hold confirmed UK bookings (obtained on or before 15:00 GMT on November 26, 2024, and plan to arrive no later than 15:00 GMT on December 24, 2024, will have a visa-free transition period of four weeks.
The new requirement is a reversal of the rule that was formerly in place.
In November 2022, the UK government lifted the visa requirement for Colombian visitors to allow them to easily travel to the UK. However, according to the government, the requirement had to be reinstated because Colombian nationals have been traveling to the UK for reasons not compliant with Immigration Rules, including seeking asylum and living in the UK.
The government confirmed that the UK and Colombia continue to be on friendly terms and the new visa requirement for Colombian visitors is for migratory and border security reasons.
Another significant change the UK government recently made to its immigration rules is the new Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme. Through the new scheme, Ukrainians with permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes would be able to extend their permission for a further 18 months. Applications will be open in early 2025, and, in order to give Ukrainians ample time to apply, applications will be accepted within the last 28 days of current permissions expiring. Also, the application will be fee-free.
The UK government has welcomed close to 250,000 people since the conflict began almost three years ago, and the new scheme is to provide future certainty as a way of standing with the people of Ukraine.