Dear Mr Bassie,

I am going to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to join my wife. I was told I need to have entry clearance prior to travelling. Could you please explain what this is and how I would go about getting it?

- V.R.

Dear V.R.,

Since you are currently outside the UK, you may need to apply for entry clearance before you travel. The phrase 'entry clearance' is a term used under immigration legislation that refers to both visas and entry certificates issued to persons seeking to enter the country.

Entry clearance is a status issued by a British high commission or consulate outside of the UK that is at a British mission. Entry clearance cannot be issued from within the borders of the UK. The status grants the applicant permission to travel to the UK in a specific capacity. The process is done through UK visas from British diplomatic posts around the world. Upon approval, entry clearance will take the form of a sticker called a vignette which is affixed to one of the pages of the applicant's passport.

Whether you need to apply for entry clearance usually depends on your current nationality and the scheme under which you are travelling. When a person applies to travel to the UK with entry clearance, there are various specific categories in which this applies.

A few of the popular categories for certain countries are as follows: UK ancestry/spouse/student/work permit/EC association agreement/elderly dependant/minister of religion/writer, artist or composer/person of independent means/visitor.

However, it should be noted, if the applicant intends to travel for a holiday of up to six months, and the person is not a 'visa national' then that individual would not need to gain entry clearance in this capacity. Those persons who are not visa nationals do not need to gain entry clearance to travel to the UK as visitors. Some Commonwealth and non-visa nationals are usually given up to six months of entry clearance on arrival at a UK port of entry.

Entry clearance

Those citizens who are listed as being visa nationals must gain entry clearance in order to be permitted to travel as visitors. All visa nationals need entry clearance to enter the UK, even if they are going as tourists.

For any other type of visa, however, entry clearance must be sought. Work Permit, Tier 1 Skilled Migration, ancestry visa and student visa holders all require entry clearance before they may enter the UK.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises in Jamaica. He is a Supreme Court-appointed mediator and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com or editor@gleanerjm.com.