New British-Irish
Visa Scheme
8 October 2014
Theresa May yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Ireland (ROI) which introduces a new British-Irish Visa Scheme whilst strengthening the Common Travel Area. The new visa will allow visitors from China and India to travel more easily between the two countries and is a move which ties in well with the Home Secretary’s recent activity towards bettering UK-China relations.
This new British-Irish agreement is part of a joint programme of work aimed at strengthening borders and providing a major economic boost to both countries. The project enables Chinese and Indian visitors to visit the UK and ROI on a single, short-stay visa whereas beforehand these tourists were forced to obtain two separate visas if they wished to travel from the UK across to ROI or vice versa.
‘Our aim is to boost tourism and business travel to our countries and, together, we are sending a clear and powerful message that these islands are open for business’
– Frances Fitzgerald, Irish Minister for Justice and Equality
It is thought that the Northern Irish economy in particular will benefit from the new scheme, as whilst in ROI visitors will now be able to travel freely into Northern Ireland without having to obtain a separate UK visa. China and India are both key markets for UK and Irish tourism and it is hoped that more than 10,000 visitors will make use of the scheme.
From October 2014, Ireland will start to share the UK’s visa application centres overseas. The new visas will be available to Chinese visitors by the end of October 2014 and to Indian visitors soon afterwards.
The Memorandum of Understanding also facilitates the sharing of data and information between the UK and ROI so as to better determine immigration decisions. It is hoped that this new programme will not only strengthen the borders against abuse but also fortify British-Irish relations.
Mrs May has announced that she is delighted to have signed the Memorandum and Ms Fitzgerald has referred to the visa scheme as ‘a truly remarkable’ and ‘unprecedented act of cooperation between our two countries’.
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