On 23 March, it was announced that anyone in England trying to travel abroad for a holiday could face a £5,000 fine. This penalty sanction is part of the new legislation due to be voted on by MPs on Thursday.
Despite the continued reduction in the numbers of new cases and deaths caused by COVID-19, which is being attributed to the UK’s strict lockdown measures and the successful rollout of the vaccination program, the Government does not plan to ease restrictions on international travel in the foreseeable future. If passed by Parliament, the ban on leaving the UK for leisure purposes will become law, with the hefty fine attached.
According to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the restrictions on travelling resulted partially from the surge in cases in continental Europe, and are necessary to prevent further outbreaks caused by potential new variants of the virus.
Once the new Coronavirus law is introduced on Monday 29 March, anyone wishing to leave England to travel abroad will need to fill in a “Declaration to Travel” form, and those who travel to a foreign country without a valid reason (which include work, education or medical treatment) could face a fine of £5,000.
The Government’s current roadmap says it “will determine when international travel should resume, which will be no earlier than 17 May”, though it is expected that the resumption of international travel will be further delayed.
Please note that the information in this blog is current at the date and time of posting. The situation regarding policy and guidance based on the COVID-19 pandemic is subject to change at short notice. We shall be monitoring all aspects of UK immigration which may be impacted by the coronavirus closely, so please do keep updated with further blogs and articles which we will be posting on Gherson.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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