ISSUES surrounding airlines not recognising Jersey travel documentation which have left some Islanders being refused boarding may not be fully resolved until the end of next year, the Home Affairs Minister has said.
Senator Helen Miles said that her department is working closely with international airport staff after months of complaints that some people have been forced to buy expensive last-minute documentation to allow them to board.
Speaking to the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel this week, the minister said that “a lot of our residents have suffered significant problems travelling back to the Island from abroad”, following the introduction of new UK laws that make it possible to fine airlines if they transport passengers without proper papers.
Jersey residents without British citizenship have to hold another immigration permission, such as passport vignette, wet-ink passport stamp or Jersey EUSS status letter. The UK equivalents are held digitally, for example through e-visas.
As a result, some airline staff have been reported to be “unfamiliar” with Jersey documents and do not realise it is a valid proof of travel permission.
Since the spring, the government has said it was working on a solution – which Senator Miles said would eventually lead to the UK’s Future Border and Immigration System being extended to cover Jersey.
“We are hopeful that our residents will have access to that in the fullness of time, but that isn’t going to happen quicky,” she said.
“It’s probably not going to happen before the end of next year.”
The FBIS system is used for the UK’s eVisas and electronic travel authorisations.
In the meantime, she recommended that those using Jersey immigration papers should check in in-person at the airport, rather than online.
Senator Miles added that she had written to airlines to explain Jersey’s position, in particular those “where there has been a problem” but that it was “a really tricky nut to crack”.
Rhiannon Small, head of service for Jersey Customs and Immigration, was speaking to the UK Home Office “almost daily”, the panel heard.
Senator Miles added that passengers had problems as far afield as “in Georgia, China, but we’ve also had people in Charles de Gaulle [in Paris]”.
“These things should not be happening,” she added.
Other Jersey residents with letters confirming they had indefinite leave to remain have been caught out by a requirement to update their passport number on the Home Office system, she said, adding that “it does appear to be rather a manual system” with a backlog of about 4,000 records.
