UK to debate easing entry norms for Commonwealth citizens

Members of the British Parliament on Tuesday are set to debate proposals to make it easier for Commonwealth citizens to arrive at the UK border.

The proposals, which include dedicated Commonwealth border-control gates and the expansion of a scheme that enables frequent business travellers to register and use speedy entry lanes to include the nationals of some Commonwealth countries, were originally set out by a group of Conservative MPs earlier this month, as part of efforts to improve relations with the Commonwealth in preparation for Brexit.

“The debate is an opportunity to highlight — in advance of the meeting of Commonwealth trade ministers in London — the importance of trading relations with Commonwealth partners in the months and years to come as we prepare to leave the EU,” Jake Berry, the Conservative MP behind the proposals, told BusinessLine ahead of the debate in Westminster Hall.

“I wanted to have a debate to encourage the government to set out its plans for free-trade agreements with Commonwealth countries, and to, in a quite public way, reaffirm the commitment of MPs to this hugely important relationship.”

The proposals mark a new strategy for tackling concerns about Britain’s visa regime. The government has repeatedly made it clear that it intends to keep immigration control a top priority, and will not relax its visa requirements from outside the EU.

Berry believes the reforms being proposed will help make travel less onerous between Commonwealth countries. “It does seem slightly incongruous that at the border there is no recognition of the special relationship [with the Commonwealth], but there is about the special relationship with Britain and the EU,” he said, pointing to the speedier immigration lanes used by UK and EU nationals.

He believes there is cross-party support for the proposals.

“The Prime Minister is clear that there can be no relaxation of visas at the moment. I just believe that in the longer term, we can make travel between Commonwealth countries easier,” he said, adding that in the longer term, Britain should look at visa-free travel between Commonwealth countries with economic parity with the UK.

Commonwealth trade ministers are due to meet in London next month, with discussions set to focus on a “transparent, free and fair multilateral trading system” and the ambition of increasing intra-Commonwealth trade to $1 trillion by 2020.

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