UK slaps travel visa restrictions on St. Lucia, Nicaragua

By Sarah Peter and Sarah Morland

CASTRIES, March 5 (Reuters) – Britain has introduced a visa requirement for citizens of the small Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia and the Central American country of Nicaragua, as its government looks to tighten rules amid pressure from the populist Reform UK ​party.

“Their visa-free entry has created a back-door into our country,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a press conference on Thursday, without giving more details.

KEY DATA

* St. Lucia’s government said it was informed in a letterdated a day earlier of the changes going into effect onThursday, which cited a “notable increase” of St. Luciansclaiming asylum. * St. Lucia, a former British colony, has a population ofabout 180,000. Last year, the World Bank estimated a netemigration of just 23 people. * Some 100,625 people claimed UK asylum last year, butmost applications were refused, Home Office data showed. * Pakistan, Eritrea and Iran led applications, but no datawas given for St. Lucia or Nicaragua, which did not make the top20.

WHAT’S NEXT

* St. Lucia’s government said it was actively engaging withBritish government and would continue talks to “explore pathwaysfor maintaining strong mobility arrangements.” * Authorities in Nicaragua, which had net emigration of8,731 people last year though many head for the U.S. orneighboring Costa Rica, did not immediately publish a comment onthe measure. * Previously, citizens from both nations needed a 16 poundElectronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK.Current ETA holders will have a six-week transition period.

KEY CONTEXT

* Immigration is one of Britain’s most politically sensitiveissues, and Prime Minister Keir ​Starmer’s government has soughtto show it is tightening the system as the populist Reform UK​party gains ground in opinion polls. * St. Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth, anassociation of mostly former British colonies. Before the 1970s,nationals of many of these had the right to live and work in theUK. * On Tuesday, Britain said it would block study visas ‌for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and halt work visas forAfghans.

(Reporting by Sarah Peter and Sarah Morland; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez)