Unions are warning visa holders who enter the UK for illegal travel reasons

Immigration officials were unable to deport large numbers of visa holders due to false reasons for entering Britain, despite strict border restrictions, warning the two unions to represent the authorities.

ISU Secretary General Lucy Moreton said authorities contacted the passengers, saying they were going to the UK for shopping and casual trips with friends – and in one case for a trip to Stonehenge.

Moreton said that a “dual group” of visitors per day for reasons does not indicate that consular officials in some countries were issuing visas for the types of visits prohibited by travel regulations related to coronaviruses.

“People still get visas to see attractions, go shopping and see family,” Moreton said.

Moreton said the procedures for dealing with visa travelers meant police officers eventually had to accept them despite their concerns.

Another union, the PCS, expressed concern that the government was allowing “many travelers” to enter Britain for “non-substantial reasons”.

“It is disappointing for our members, who are powerless to challenge this flow of passengers,” PCS said.

Since February, all four UK countries have varying levels of travel restrictions on 33 “Red List” countries – including South Africa and Brazil – except for UK and Irish citizens or those with residency rights in the United Kingdom. for. Discount categories. In England, anyone admitted to the respective countries must be hired in an approved hotel.

However, there were calls to expand the sanctions to include countries outside the Red List and to shorten the list of excluded groups.

The Home Office insisted that Border Force officials have the right to deny entry to any visitor visa holder who is believed to have traveled to the United Kingdom for “current domestic health sanctions not permitted” is.

“We are in a global health epidemic – people should not travel unless it is absolutely necessary,” the ministry said.

However, Moreton said that although its members have told legitimate visa holders about the reasons for which they are not allowed to travel, they have been denied entry, giving them automatic right to appeal “in the country”. is. As a result, he had to be pending an appeal hearing in the UK, which could take months.

“We had someone who wanted to see Stonehenge – cool, but you can’t do that during an epidemic,” Morton said. “Go to museums, go sightseeing, go shopping – these are not things UK residents can do.”

The Ministry of the Interior said that since January this year, it has stopped processing all visa applications for people traveling from countries on the Red List and those visiting those countries explicitly in the last 10 days.

Moreton acknowledged that the applicants likely provided consular officers with a number of good reasons to sign up, among them those they mentioned upon arrival. Moreton said it may also be that they are using multi-month visas issued before recent interruptions begin.

However, she expressed her disappointment at the relatively large number of people involved.

“Sure, it’s a good double group every day and every day,” Morton said.

He said the circumstances indicated that some British consulates were issuing visas to people who did not have a valid reason for traveling. He said there are a particularly large number of visa holders who applied for the wrong reasons in West Africa – including Islamabad in Nigeria, Delhi, India and Pakistan.

“We wonder why visas are issued for purposes that cannot be met,” Morton said.

Moriton is scheduled to testify in front of members of the House of Commons Select Committee on Internal Affairs on Monday.