Changing visa system would cost up to £200,000

Monday 03 July 2023

More than 100 visa holders have had problems returning to Jersey due to the quality of the stamps in their passports – but replacing wet ink with "visa vignettes" would cost up to £200,000, according to the Home Affairs Minister.

There have previously been calls to introduce visa vignettes, physical visas that are added to passports.

Currently, Jersey uses "wet ink stamps" directly in visa holders' passports – but those have caused issues, leaving visa holders stranded abroad when airport staff abroad did not recognise the stamps.

The stamps used currently have caused issues for visa holders, as airport staff abroad do not always recognise them – particularly when visa holders have to travel through the UK.

About 2,600 passports have been issued with wet ink stamps since 2019, of which about 1,200 belong to work permit holders. The others belong to people who have been granted leave in Jersey.

Of those 2,600 people, around 0.05% had faced difficulties while travelling – totalling around 130 people, Home Affairs Minister Helen Miles revealed in a letter responding to questions on the matter raised by Deputy Mary Le Hegarat, Vice Chair of the Work Permit Holder Welfare Review Panel.

Asked how much issuing vignettes instead would cost, Deputy Miles said: "It is not possible to provide a precise cost per person, per issue. However, it is estimated that initial set up costs for JCIS to issue vignettes or biometric resident permits would be between £120,000 and £200,000 due to the need for IT development and bespoke printing facilities meeting the security requirements and features of vignettes."

The Panel had previously called for wet ink stamps to be replaced by more recognisable visas, saying the Government was "reluctant" to change systems.

Deputy Miles did not confirm whether the Government would be looking to move away from wet ink, but noted that work had been undertaken in June 2022 to educate global border authorities on the stamp system.

"...The UK Home Office, on behalf of the Crown Dependencies, issued guidance to carriers worldwide highlighting that Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man immigration authorities grant leave to remain using wet ink stamps, and provided examples of those stamps," she explained.

"The guidance also made it clear that these wet ink stamps confer authority for travel to the United Kingdom and Islands without a need for a separate visa.

"To improve the experience of passengers passing through UK ports of entry, immigration permissions granted in Jersey are now shared electronically with UK Border Force so that the status of travellers granted leave to remain in Jersey can be accessed and confirmed."