The Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities confirmed that at least two Portuguese citizens were barred from entering the United Kingdom due to a lack of work visas, one of whom has been temporarily detained.
“Portuguese embassies in the United Kingdom were temporarily detained in connection with the case of a national citizen and prevented from staying in British territory by border control services after attempting to enter the country without a visa for that purpose,” the official said.
Another Portuguese, however, was not detained, but was barred from entering the country for the same reasons.
“Both nationals were with the embassy, and both cases were subject to dialogue with British authorities. These nationals were told to return to Portugal, as it had happened,” he said.
The “Politico” website reported two weeks ago that dozens of European nationals of various nationalities were detained at airports or held in temporary detention centers for several days until deportation.
The Guardian newspaper reported last week that some of the affected Europeans had job interviews, which British government rules allow.
Following Brexit, from January 1, EU (EU) citizens will no longer be able to travel to the UK to work without a work or student visa or citizenship status.
European citizens can enter the UK without a visa and stay up to 90 days for tourism. However, border control agents can refuse entry if there is a valid reason to suspect that they want to stay in the country without the necessary documents, as do immigrants already from other countries.
However, the Interior Ministry has updated the guidelines for security forces so that foreign nationals in this situation can be released on bail if they have a place to stay.
Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
