Legal News
Airport Immigration Delays Damaging To Economy, Claim MPs (27 September 2011)
Date: 27/09/2011
Experts have warned that the long border delays at Heathrow Airport are damaging London’s economy. BAA, which has invested billions of pounds in improving the airport, launched an attack on the UK Border Agency’s lengthy immigration queues. MPs and peers have criticised the delays, which have angered both business and leisure travellers at the airport. Business chiefs have called for tougher targets for immigration officials. They claim that immigration officials should be stringently checked to ensure that they are meeting their targets before the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
A spokesperson for BAA claimed that the company had raised the issue of immigration delays on several occasions. The company described waiting times during peak periods as “unacceptable”. Baroness Kramer, a former Richmond Park MP, said that the UK Border Agency should consider changing its policy to allow those with non-UK passports through in under one-and-a-half hours. Shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, claimed that the lengthy queues were bad for the country’s reputation and did nothing to attract business and investment.
Immigration minister, Damian Green, claimed that in the first half of 2011, the UK Border Agency had reached its target of clearing 95 per cent of non-EU passengers within 45 minutes of arrival. A spokesperson for the UK Border Agency said that it is necessary to balance immigration times against the requirement to protect the UK’s borders. He added that higher passenger volumes experienced during the peak period inevitably resulted in slight delays in waiting times.
The immigration solicitors at Duncan Lewis possess an extensive knowledge of immigration law. The team are able to advise clients on matters relating to both general and business immigration.