UK not to introduce visa-free travel for Ukrainians after Brexit – envoy

The UK is not going to open a visa center in Ukraine.

British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons has said Britain will not introduce visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens after leaving the European Union on Saturday midnight.

The issue of visa-free travel is not a political issue, it is a matter of border security, but border security is the reason why the UK did not participate in the Schengen agreement, and this policy has not changed, the ambassador explained during a morning TV show, "Snidanok z 1+1," on January 31.

According to her, after the UK leaves the European Union, the visa travel rules for Ukrainians will remain the same, i.e. there will be no changes: if one goes to the UK from Ukraine, he or she will need a visa.

Simmons also said the UK would not open a visa center in Ukraine, and decisions on issuing visas to Ukrainians would be made at a regional visa center in Warsaw.

The ambassador added that, according to statistics, Ukrainians get 98% of British visas on time.

Most of applications for visits are handled without problems, and the Embassy will work with the UK Visa Application Center so that people get visas on time, she said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a temporary visa-free travel regime for UK citizens.

The UK is leaving the European Union on January 31, 2020. The transition will continue until the end of the year.