BOGOTA, Colombia — On Tuesday, President Gustavo Petro announced that Colombia will require visas for British citizens traveling to the country. This response comes as a form of retaliation after the United Kingdom decided to remove Colombia from a list that allowed its citizens to enter the UK without a tourist visa.

Petro communicated this development via a message on X, highlighting that the move is based on the principle of reciprocity. Although he did not specify when these visa requirements would come into effect, the announcement indicates a significant shift in diplomatic relations between Colombia and the UK.

The UK’s decision to impose visa requirements for Colombian citizens was made earlier on the same day. The British embassy in Colombia stated that in the past two years, there has been a notable increase in the number of Colombians arriving in the UK and making what the embassy described as “unjustified” asylum claims.

Previously, the UK had lifted the visa requirement for Colombian nationals in 2022. However, in light of the surge in asylum applications, the embassy indicated that the UK government found it necessary to reintroduce visa mandates.

“Unfortunately, the abuses committed by a small group of Colombians visiting the United Kingdom have compelled our ministers to reach this conclusion,” the embassy’s statement conveyed.

Colombia’s ambassador to the UK, Roy Barreras, elaborated in a radio interview that more than 940 Colombians have filed asylum claims in the UK this year alone. He noted some individuals have sought the help of travel agencies that allegedly instruct them on how to manipulate the asylum application process. In stark contrast, only six Colombians sought asylum in the UK in 2021, showcasing a dramatic increase.

Over the past few years, numerous Colombians have sought refuge in Europe and the United States, primarily driven by economic hardship and escalating violence in certain regions of Colombia due to activities by rebel groups and drug trafficking organizations. In 2022, U.S. border patrol agents apprehended over 165,000 Colombians at the Mexican border, a figure that saw a modest decline to about 155,000 in the subsequent year.