UK petition to keep ID cards for junior school groups from the EU
The UK English Language Teaching sector (ELT) has been facing not only hard times because of the pandemic but has been also addressing issues caused by Brexit.
The confirmation of ending the use of ID cards to travel to the UK and the List of Travellers scheme from 1st October 2021 is one of them.
The representatives of the ELT sector presented a proposal to the UK government to maintain an ID card for travelling for European junior students last year but it was declined.
A new initiative in the form of a petition has been launched asking the UK government to reconsider its position on ending travelling with ID cards and the List of Travellers scheme for European school groups.
The presentation of the petition asks the UK government to consider the financial and educational impact caused by not allowing school-aged children to enter the UK with ID cards.
Many of these groups come for a short stay lasting from a number of days to a couple of weeks and the added financial and organisational costs to obtain visas and passports can restrict them to travel to the UK. The petition highlights the considerable financial benefits to the UK brought by the junior and educational travel sector that can be reduced or lost to countries that accept ID cards to travel such as Ireland.
The government will be required to respond to the petition when 10,000 signatures are reached.
Many study travel agencies are concerned that the extra cost connected with obtaining a passport to travel will result in many groups choosing alternative destinations where they can travel with ID cards and therefore the students will avoid the expense of getting a passport.
The petition is a try to change the situation, but some ELT providers already consider alternative options to keep the student groups coming such as ABC Languages Cambridge which announced a promotion to cover the visa costs incurred by any non-EU students attending an EU secondary school who will require a visa to travel to the UK with their school group.
The petition can be signed by British citizens and UK residents.
You can view it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587749
