- The UK government has outlined specific criminal conviction thresholds that will automatically disqualify a foreigner from obtaining an Electronic Travel Authorisation
- One of the grounds relates to the length of a custodial or suspended sentence received by an applicant in the UK or overseas
- The second ground concerns how recently a criminal conviction was recorded, regardless of the sentence handed down
The United Kingdom has set out two specific conditions under which a foreign national will be automatically barred from obtaining an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter Britain.
The UK government states that an ETA application must be refused where either of the following applies to the applicant.
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First ground: length of sentence received
The first ground for refusal applies to anyone who has been convicted of a criminal offence, whether in the UK or in another country, and received a custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more as a result. The nature of the offence itself is not the only factor — the duration of the sentence attached to the conviction is what triggers an automatic ban under this condition.
Second ground: conviction
The second ground covers a broader category of applicants. Any person who has been convicted of a criminal offence, in the UK or abroad, will be refused an ETA unless more than 12 months have passed since the date of that conviction. This means that even a conviction carrying a lighter sentence could still block a traveller from obtaining authorisation to enter Britain if the conviction is recent.
Together, the two grounds establish a framework under which both the severity of a sentence and the recency of a conviction can independently determine whether a foreigner is eligible to travel to the UK via the ETA route.
The ETA is a pre-travel permission requirement introduced by the UK for nationals of countries that do not need a visa to enter Britain. Travellers are required to obtain one before boarding a flight or other transport to the country.
UK lists 82 countries eligible for ETA
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that the UK government had published a list of 82 countries whose citizens can travel to Britain using an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) instead of a standard visa.
The list includes Mauritius and Seychelles, the only African countries whose citizens are eligible for the scheme.
Source: Legit.ng
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