UK announces new immigration rules for 6 month+ visits

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From 13 November 2005, all nationals from non-EEA member states as listed below who wish to come to the UK for more than six months will need to obtain an entry clearance from a British diplomatic mission before travelling.

A one-off cost of £85.00 will enable the traveller, once entry clearance has been obtained, to stay for the full period without having to apply for a residence permit (unless they wish to change or extend their stay).

The new entry clearance arrangements have been introduced in stages over a two year period. The first stage came into force on 13 November 2003 and involved ten nationalities (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong (but not BN(O)s), Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and United States.)

British Nationals (Overseas) and other categories of British nationals without the right of abode in the UK will continue to be able to travel without entry clearance and apply on arrival.

As with the first phase, there will be a "grace period" which will operate until 13 Janury 2006 during which time any passenger arriving at a UK port who qualifies for entry but who does not have the necessary entry clearance will be admitted.

The changes are being made because EU member states have agreed that documents giving permission to stay in any EU territory should be in a common format. The UK already issues common format residence permits (UKRP) to those in the UK applying for permission to stay. This change will make it easier and more convenient for travellers to be issued with a common format document.

List of countries affected:

NationalityApply to
AndorraMadrid
Antigua and BarbudaBridgetown
ArgentinaBuenos Aires
BahamasNew York
BarbadosBridgetown
BelizeNew York
BermudaNew York
BoliviaLa Paz
BotswanaGaborone
BrazilRio de Janeiro
BruneiBandar Seri Begawan
Cayman IslandsKingston
ChileSantiago
Costa RicaNew York
DominicaBridgetown
E TimorJakarta
El SalvadorPanama City
Faroe IslandsCopenhagen
GreenlandCopenhagen
GrenadaBridgetown
GuatemalaNew York
HondurasPanama City
IsraelTel Aviv or Jerusalem
KiribatiSuva
LesothoPretoria
MacauHong Kong
MalawiLilongwe
MaldivesColombo
Marshall IslandsSuva
MauritiusPot Louis
MexicoMexico City
MicronesiaSuva
MonacoParis
NamibiaWindhoek
NauruSuva
NicaraguaNew York
PalauAny accessible Post
PanamaPanama City
Papua New GuineaPort Moresby
ParaguayBuenos Aires
SamoaWellington
San MarinoRome
SeychellesVictoria
Solomon IslandsHoniara
St Kitts and NevisBridgetown
St LuciaBridgetown
St Vincent & GrenadinesBridgetown
SwazilandPretoria
TongaNuku'alofa
Trinidad and TobagoPort of Spain
TuvaluSuva
UruguayMontevideo
VanuatuPort Vila
Vatican CityRome
VenezuelaCaracas