UK visas: what will change for SA visitors?

THE UK’s visa system is to
be overhauled to reduce
processing time and red
tape. The changes will see the
number of visa types available
to foreign business visitors
and tourists reduced from 15
to four.
Isabel Potgieter,
spokesperson for the British
High Commission in Pretoria,
says reducing the number
of visitor routes on offer will
simplify the process and
give visitors greater flexibility
over what they can do when
they are in the UK. “Entry
requirements are not being
changed but aspects of the
policy, and the rules and
guidance are being simplified
so people do not unwittingly
fall foul of the immigration
rules. There will also be
new Immigration Rules and
Guidance for visitors, which
are shorter, more user-friendly
and easier for people to
understand.”
One of the main changes
under the new immigration
system is that corporate
travellers will be able to travel
for business and leisure
on one single visa. “The
improvements will allow a
person to visit for a business
meeting and a holiday without
having to apply for two
separate visas,” says Isabel.
The UK is also clarifying the
business activities that visitors
can undertake, adding in some
new ones, she says.
The changes will be
phased in from April. “From
April, anyone entering using
an existing visa will also
benefit from the changes; so
someone who already has a
valid business visit visa can
use that visa from April to
come for a holiday.”
The rates for the new visa
categories have not been
published yet. Isabel says
the process of setting and
reviewing visa fees is a
separate initiative.
The contentious transit visa
will remain in place. Isabel
says the Home Office will keep
its transit visa regime under
regular review. The UK recently
simplified the requirements for
the transit visa and reduced
the price to £30 (R537),
making the UK’s transit visa
cheaper than a Schengen
one.