From 25 February 2026, anyone travelling to the UK as a Visitor who does not need a visa to enter the UK for short stays (non-visa nationals), will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
The government introduced ETAs in October 2024 and rolled them out to all non-visa nationals in 2025. An ETA is a digital permission to travel to the UK, but it is not a visa.
While ETAs have been available for over a year now, the government has not been strictly enforcing them, allowing Visitors time to adjust. Everyone who is now travelling to the UK will need a digital permission, either through an ETA or eVisa.
ETAs and British citizens
British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens, are exempt from needing an ETA. In fact, British citizens cannot apply for an ETA.
This is particularly relevant for people who have naturalised or registered as British citizens and are planning to travel before receiving their first British passport.
If you are a British citizen and travelling to the UK, you must have a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. If you do not, you could be denied boarding.
The government has made clear that dual British citizens who cannot produce a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement will undergo additional identity checks and will not be permitted through passport control until their British nationality has been verified.
UKVI comms for EUSS holders
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has has been sending email communications to holders of EU pre-settled and settled status to update them on some important points:
• A favourable change in the way they calculate residence for settled status. They now look at whether pre-settled status holders were resident in the UK for at least 30 months (2.5 years) in the 5 years before they apply for settled status, rather than requiring absence of no more than 180 days in every 12 months. As a result, some of your employees with pre-settled status might now be eligible for settled status.
• Automated grants of settled status. The UKVI are granting settled status to some pre-settled status holders without their having submitted an application. This appears to be just for EEA or Swiss citizens with a clear 5 year record of PAYE earnings.
• Reminding EUSS holders to keep their UKVI accounts up to date. This will become more important for travel in 2027. When an EUSS holder gets a new passport or changes their contact details, they need to update their UKVI account.
global talent taskforce
On 20 January 2026, Blair McDougall, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, announced in Parliament that the government want to attract top talent from around the globe in research and technology.
To this end, the government have launched a Global Talent Taskforce, which is a new concierge service to support talent lay down roots in the UK.
We expect that the taskforce will work in collaboration with the Home Office to make it simpler for individuals with relevant academic or research appointments, along with those working in industry, to apply for the Global Talent visa.
Watch this space for the specifics.