Recent developments in visa and consular practices by the British government are expected to further strengthen mobility between the United Kingdom and the Philippines, as cross-border employment and tourism continue to expand.
The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP), in partnership with Quisumbing Torres and with The Philippine Business and News (THEPHILBIZNEWS) as media partner, convened stakeholders on February 24 for a forum titled “Understanding Visa Updates and Consular Policies” under its Trade & Connect Series initiative.
The discussions come amid steady growth in employment-linked mobility between the two countries. According to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Visa Outreach Officer Marie Frances Salomon, as of September 2025, a total of 14,494 work visas were granted to main applicants, reflecting what she described as expanding cross-border employment opportunities.
Salomon also noted that the UK’s transition to electronic visas (e-visas) is designed to modernize and simplify the system.
The shift to e-visas, she said, “will further streamline the application process, reduce processing times, improve compliance and monitoring, and enhance the overall ease of mobility.”
On the Philippine side, Quisumbing Torres Immigration Practice Group Associate Atty. Renson Yu outlined immigration compliance requirements for entry related to work, employment, and tourist visas, underscoring the importance of regulatory clarity as bilateral movement increases.
Beyond employment, travel flows between the two countries remain robust.
BCCP Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson previously noted that, “We try to boost the travel between the two countries. We’re very closely related and the continuing increase in the area of tourism, we are very pleased to welcome that.”
“And of course, vice versa, we have a lot of tourists and Filipinos who go to visit the UK. And let’s not forget, estimated there are approximately 200,000 Filipinos living in the UK. So this is continuing to strengthen those ties and UK cultures there,” Nelson added.
In 2025, the Philippines joined 184 countries at the World Travel Market London 2025 to promote itself as a tourism destination. As of October 2025, the UK ranked eighth among the Philippines’ top source markets, recording 126,301 visitor arrivals.
The growing mobility between the two nations is mirrored by expanding business engagement.
The British Chamber has welcomed the increasing presence of British firms in the country and encouraged companies to explore opportunities beyond Metro Manila. Data from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) show that as of November 2025, there were 75 British locator companies in the Philippines, with cumulative investments reaching ₱229.297 billion since 1995.
With digital visa reforms underway and employment-driven migration on the rise, stakeholders say UK-Philippine relations are poised to deepen further — anchored on labor mobility, tourism flows, and sustained business investments.