The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee opened a new evidence session on 11 March examining policing and security challenges on the island of Ireland, with a special focus on how the Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) are policing the Common Travel Area (CTA) in the era of digital borders. Witnesses—including Durham University law expert Gemma Davies, NCA operations chief Rob Jones and Home Office ‘Head of ICE & ROM North’ Gordon Summers—were questioned about irregular migration routes that exploit the land border and about data-sharing obstacles since the UK left EU policing databases.
For employers, travellers and immigration advisers seeking practical support in navigating these evolving CTA requirements, VisaHQ offers up-to-date guidance and application help for UK, Irish and wider Schengen visas. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) consolidates the latest biometric, carrier-liability and right-to-work updates, making it easier for organisations to adapt travel policies as the new eVisa and EES systems roll out.
MPs asked whether the planned National Police Service and eVisa systems could allow real-time status checks on travellers moving between Belfast, Dublin and mainland Britain. Stakeholders also discussed the potential impact of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), due to be fully operational by April 2026, on traffic through Dublin Port and Belfast airports. Businesses running employee shuttles between Great Britain and the Republic heard warnings that any divergence in biometric procedures could lengthen journey times or require dual compliance regimes. Committee recommendations—expected later this year—could shape future CTA guidance, carrier-liability rules and right-to-work verification for staff transferred across the border. Mobility managers should track the inquiry and review whether current travel-policy assumptions remain valid once the EU’s EES and UK eVisa systems are both live.
