The British government will end its visa-free travel arrangement with Jordan, according to a statement from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
Jordanian officials informed Middle East Eye that British consular staff had announced the cancellation of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for Jordanian citizens, effective September 10. The ETA had allowed Jordanians to visit the UK without a visa for up to two years.
British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper cited “misuse” of the system as the reason for this decision. Earlier, Middle East Eye obtained a letter from Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to King Abdullah, alerting him to Britain’s plan to halt the ETA system starting September 10, 2024.
The letter mentions that a 28-day transition period will be provided for Jordanians who already hold a permit and have booked travel to the UK. It also notes that the UK informed Amman of an increase in Jordanian asylum claims in the UK and Ireland. The letter claims that organized crime groups in these countries have been exploiting the ETA system for human trafficking.
Many Jordanians have used the UK as a transit point to reach the United States via Latin America. Turkey and the UK are popular for Jordanians seeking to travel to the US. One route involves arriving in the UK or Turkey and then traveling to Nicaragua before moving through Mexico to the US border.
The letter also alleges that some Jordanian nationals have claimed asylum in Ireland while pretending to be Palestinian.
Since February 2024, Jordanians have been able to visit the UK using the £10 ($13 or eight Jordanian dinars) ETA system, with applications typically approved within three days. However, many have used this route to travel to Central America and pay up to $12,000 to human traffickers in hopes of entering the US.