Forgeign Office has issued a European visa update as part of a new crackdown on border security. The countries affected include popular holiday destinations for British people, such as Greece and Italy.
In a post on social media platform X, foreign countries, commonwealths and development offices (FCDO) explained that passengers need to be specifically verified before they fly. This claimed to “protect” boundaries and “rationalisation” arrivals.
“We are working with European airlines to strengthen UK border security,” FCDO said.
“Staff from major airlines on the continent are trained to verify UK visas before the passenger committee, which will help protect the borders and streamline the arrival.”
This has been confirmed by the Immigration Advice Service (IAS), which focuses on how passengers flying from Greece, Italy and Albania are most affected.
“European airline staff are trained to refuse travel to passengers to the UK who do not have a valid visa or travel approval,” he said.
The new training comes as part of the broader deployment of the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) and EVISA scheme.
The IAS continues: “More than 9,000 airline workers have been trained to verify UK travel documents at international airports, including general sources of irregular migration in Greece, Italy, and Albania.”
Foreign Secretary David Lamy commented: “Treating irregular migration calls for cooperation across borders and industry, disrupting the pathways used by those seeking illegally entering the UK.
Send a clear message. Without proper approval and registration, air travel is not an option. ”
Official statistics show that the profits enacted from the UK have increased 23% since the 2024 general election. This meant that over 30,000 people had been returned to their home countries.
However, the IAS noted that some campaigners are raising concerns about delegating immigration responsibility to staff at private airlines.
This could cause problems with “legal travelers” especially in the potential cases where boarding could be accidentally denied due to system errors, the IAS added.
