Automated security checks under new border scheme

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said that a new border scheme requiring visitors to apply for an electronic permit will make the UK safer.

Under the new plan, all visitors without a visa or immigration status will have to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before coming to the UK. The Home Office says the new system would allow automated and early security checks to take place to stop foreign criminals arriving in the country, with applicants only allowed to travel once they have been cleared.

The new scheme is modelled on the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization which has been in place since 2009, while the EU is planning to introduce its own version - European Travel Information and Authorisation System - next year.

The government also says the new scheme will make it easier to count the numbers coming into the country and notes that past migration figures have underestimated the true figure.

Approximately 30 million people are expected to apply for ETAs each year.

Speaking ahead of the government providing further details on the Legal Migration and Border Control Strategy on 24 May, Patel said: "Now we have taken back control and ended free movement, security is at the very heart of our immigration strategy. Our new approach will make it easier to identify potential threats before they reach the border."