The United Kingdom has decided to reinstate visa requirements for Colombians starting December 24, 2024. This news was confirmed by Roy Barreras, Colombia’s ambassador to London. This decision follows an increase in asylum applications submitted with fraudulent documentation.
The visa requirement was initially removed on November 9, 2022, to benefit tourists intending to stay in the UK for up to six months. However, the ambassador explained that the “abuse” of this policy by some Colombians who filed false asylum claims using fraudulent documents led to this reversal.
“The culture of shortcuts costs us all. A minority of compatriots, as we warned months ago, exploited the ease of visa-free travel and harmed the majority by irregularly requesting false asylum with forged documents. These irregular asylum claims have surged by the thousands in the UK,” Barreras stated.
As a result, the UK has added Colombia back to a list of countries that now require a visa again. “This minority has negatively impacted the majority, who can still travel to visit family or conduct business and tourism. However, they must now go through the tedious visa application process,” Barreras said.
The ambassador negotiated a “transition window” until December 24, allowing those with pre-arranged travel plans for the end-of-year holidays to enter the UK without a visa, provided they can prove their bookings. “They won’t need a visa if they demonstrate they already have tickets and travel plans. Everyone else will likely have to begin the tedious visa process from today,” Barreras added.
Recently, the UK announced that Peru, which currently does not require a visa, will transition to requiring an Electronic Travel Authorization starting in January 2025. Colombia, however, is now treated similarly to countries like Jordan, Honduras, and El Salvador, which will also see visa requirements reinstated in the future.
The ambassador stated that efforts would continue to advocate for the visa exemption to be reconsidered. Additionally, Colombia has launched a campaign at airports and through Migration Colombia to discourage false asylum claims.
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