Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
No: it's not thinly veiled.
All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
11–20 of 89 posts
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#12Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
From the article:
The government says the ETA scheme will strengthen border security...[clip]...under current rules it does not have wholly accurate data on the number of people entering and leaving the country.
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#13Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
Otherwise, what problem does this solve?
It makes those on the right who cry about immigration feel a bit better and makes for good security theater.
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#14Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
From the article: The government says the ETA scheme will strengthen border security...[clip]...under current rules it does not have wholly accurate data on the number of people entering and leaving the country.
the CTO of Starbucks stood on stage (pre-covid) in a small setting and told everyone "actually, we do not know how many people work at Starbucks right now" .. dramatic pause.. the explanation is that pending resignation, pending dismissal, no-show, hiring pipeline, even whole stores opening and closing.. means that the EXACT number is not known, but there is state.. and bounds to that state. It was a dramatic way to talk about the inherent difficulty of precise numbers in a very large and active enterprise.
So, relate that to the state of border control of an entire nation, and you get the idea..
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#15The cost of the ETA has not been confirmed but it is expected to be in a similar range to those schemes. The U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization costs $21. The European Union is set to launch its own digital travel authorization scheme, called ETIAS, for visa-exempt nationals in 2024. It will enable travel within 30 countries. This isn't a UK thing, I expect most developed countries to adopt such things i…
>Anyone arriving at the U.K. border by air or rail without an ETA will be turned away, including if they arrive via Ireland but are not Irish or British citizens. So anything who didn't apply an ETA will now be blocked? I thought they should at least offer an option for something like £100 to get it done at the border. But that is a lot of inconvenience for travellers.
The point of it is to know way ahead of time who is coming to their shores, even at the cost of inconvenience. Quick online esta-style form, not too bad, you just have to remember to do it.
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#16The cost of the ETA has not been confirmed but it is expected to be in a similar range to those schemes. The U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization costs $21. The European Union is set to launch its own digital travel authorization scheme, called ETIAS, for visa-exempt nationals in 2024. It will enable travel within 30 countries. This isn't a UK thing, I expect most developed countries to adopt such things i…
>Anyone arriving at the U.K. border by air or rail without an ETA will be turned away, including if they arrive via Ireland but are not Irish or British citizens. So anything who didn't apply an ETA will now be blocked? I thought they should at least offer an option for something like £100 to get it done at the border. But that is a lot of inconvenience for travellers.
Nothing different than what the US has at the moment and they’re ok
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#17Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
From the article: The government says the ETA scheme will strengthen border security...[clip]...under current rules it does not have wholly accurate data on the number of people entering and leaving the country.
Which seems... Ridiculous. It provides "border security" in the way TSA provides airport security: By showing theater to make certain folks feel better. As far as the number of people: Flights have record of who is on them, and generally require a passport for international travel (even though there are open borders between EU countries). I've not taken a train internationally, but I'd imagine something similar exists there - or can exist, anyway.
It doesn't really cover folks driving (Which would make their numbers different), but I suppose there are less routes into the UK by car.
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#18>It is understood the U.K. has ambitions to eventually require all travelers to submit fingerprint biometrics ahead of travel and is working on a scheme that would see this submitted by smartphone. Wait, can they even do that? Can the government make an app that can beam the fingerprints read from the fingerprint sensor phone back to them? AFAIK the biometric data is stored in the phone's secure enclave and can never…
I think those ambitions will be downgraded when reality hits.
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Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#19Is this a thinly veiled cash grab? Otherwise, what actual problem does this solve?
From the article: The government says the ETA scheme will strengthen border security...[clip]...under current rules it does not have wholly accurate data on the number of people entering and leaving the country.
I'm confused how they don't have the accurate numbers. To enter the UK you need to go through Border Patrol, either via a automated gate (where they can count you) or via a person at a booth (where they can count you).
If you can't get accurate numbers from that, how would an online form change that?
Re: All travelers to the UK will need pre-authorization by 2025
#20The cost of the ETA has not been confirmed but it is expected to be in a similar range to those schemes. The U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization costs $21. The European Union is set to launch its own digital travel authorization scheme, called ETIAS, for visa-exempt nationals in 2024. It will enable travel within 30 countries. This isn't a UK thing, I expect most developed countries to adopt such things i…
In particular for those inter-Europe cruise ships that do EU and non-EU countries, like the UK. I can imagine you need to get 2, 3, or more of these authorizations each with a fee from $7-30.