Namibian nationals will have to apply for a visa before travelling or visiting the United Kingdom (UK), the British government announced on Wednesday.
The decision to impose a visa regime, which is effective immediately, was made due to a sustained and significant increase in the number of asylum applications from Namibian nationals at the UK border since 2016, the British High Commission in Namibia said in a statement on Wednesday.
The changes, which came into effect immediately, will apply to all Namibian nationals travelling to the UK.
However, there will be a four-week transition period until Aug. 16, during which Namibian nationals holding confirmed tickets booked before July 19 will still be permitted to travel to the UK as non-visa nationals.
"I fully understand that the imposition of a visa regime will be of concern to the many Namibian nationals who we warmly welcome to visit the UK as genuine visitors," said Charles Moore, the British high commissioner to Namibia, adding that the significant increase in asylum claims prompted the decision.
"We have regularly discussed the increase in asylum applications with the Namibian government, and continue to work jointly on returning those nationals who are ultimately determined to be ineligible for asylum in the UK," he noted.
According to Moore, the changes made will bring Namibia into line with many other visa-national countries, including some Commonwealth partners.
Meanwhile, Moore said the British government has increased the capacity of the Visa Application Centre in the Namibian capital of Windhoek to accommodate the processing of visitor visa applications in the country.
Namibian visitors already in the UK will not be affected by these changes, but once they leave the UK, they will need a visitor visa to make any future visit, the commission concluded.