Effective November 9th, persons holding a Guyanese passport will no longer be required to obtain a visitor’s visa in order to make leisure trips to the United Kingdom.
The announcement was made by British High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller on Tuesday, October 18.
Miller said she had advocated for the removal of visitor visa requirements after spending her first 15 months in office hearing out complaints from all levels of society about issues surrounding visas.
The removal, she noted, was also a topic of discussion between former UK Prime Minister Boris Johson and Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali during Ali’s visit to the UK earlier this year.
Miller said the visa life was “a real sign of confidence” by the United Kingdom and the growth of its relationship with Guyana.
In the coming months, she anticipates that other developments including a direct flight with British Airways from Guyana at the end of March 2024, and the hosting of a trade mission for British businesses in Guyana during the month of November, will further strengthen this relationship.
Miller did stress however that only visitor visas have been waived, and that if anyone is seeking to stay in the UK beyond 6 months or to travel for purpose of work, travel, or relocation, they will still be required to apply for the relevant visa.
Some have speculated that the decision comes at a time when Guyana, as an oil-producing country, may be growing in appeal as an international partner given the current state of the oil and gas industry.
A recent edition of the World Bank’s “Global Economic Prospects” said that Guyana remained one of the world’s fastest-growing nations despite the myriad of uncertainties affecting the global economy. It also predicted that Guyana’s economy would experience a 49.7 percent expansion in this financial year.