Border control in Ireland not coming back
Although the British government is tightening security for foreign nationals coming in and out of the UK, it won’t mean a return to border control for Ireland. The UK government stated they’d be stepping up border control, which means among other things that people coming into the UK and leaving the country will be checked against certain watch lists for immigration.
A UK Border Agency spokesperson stated:
We are driving forward the biggest shake-up of border security for decades.
That’s why it is crucial that we continue to work closely with the governments of the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Island and the Isle of Man (the Common Travel Area) to tackle the major issues that face us today, from trafficking and terrorism to illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
We have launched our consultation on proposed changes to strengthen the Common Travel Area (CTA). We are keen to work closely with the travel industry, carriers, port operators and business on the impact of measures that we are proposing to strengthen our borders.
These new measures won’t affect the border between Northern and Southern Ireland however, nor will it affect travel between the UK and Ireland.
We have no intention of introducing fixed immigration controls on the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, or on routes between the Islands and UK.
Among the new measures include plans to introduce full immigration controls for anyone coming in to the UK and Ireland via sea or air. These measures include the introduction of identity cards for foreign nationals in the government’s national identity card scheme.
