By NAN Staff Writer
NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Oct. 18, 2022: The Guyana passport is likely to be more in demand as the United Kingdom today announced that Guyanese would soon no longer require a tourist visa to travel to the UK.
United Kingdom High Commissioner Jane Miller said as of November 9th, Guyanese will no longer need a Standard Visitor visa to enter the UK and stay for up to six months. “This visa lift is a real sign of the confidence that the UK has in the growth of our relationship and, together with the direct flight, at the end of March with British Airways, we believe that this change is going to be transformative to our already strong relationship,” she said alongside the country’s president today.
This visa is established for those that wish to travel to the United Kingdom for purposes of:
Tourism.
To visit family members.
Medical treatment.
For professional reasons.
The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the following types of visas:
Family Visitor visa.
General Visitor visa.
Child Visitor visa.
Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists.
Sports Visitor visa.
Entertainer Visitor visa.
Prospective Entrepreneur visa.
Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa.
Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa.
However, Guyanese who would like to stay much longer, work or study would need a visa. The High Commissioner said there would also be no special security measures for Guyanese entering. A High Commission official added that immigration was still expected to ask the reasons for entering the UK.
Meanwhile, with an increase in demand for Guyanese citizenship, the Guyana President, Irfaan Ali, said Guyana was working to ensure that Guyana’s system “is not abused.”
He said the Advanced Passenger Information System would be used to screen passengers like travelers from any other country, in addition to real time information sharing and monitoring.
A United Kingdom trade mission is due to visit Guyana in mid-November.
