UK starts visa requirements for St. Lucians

CASTRIES, St. Lucia - Britain has introduced a visa requirement for St. Lucians effective from Thursday citing a "notable increase" in nationals from the small Caribbean nation claiming asylum, St. Lucia's government said in a statement.

Immigration is one of Britain's most politically sensitive issues, and Prime Minister Keir ?Starmer's government has sought to show it is tightening the system as the populist Reform UK ?party gains ground in opinion polls.

The former British colony has a population of about 180,000. Last year, the World Bank estimated a net emigration of just 23 people. — Reuters