(Bloomberg) -- As Brexit looms large, American and Canadian travelers are being granted a new special privilege upon entering the U.K.: official permission to jump the queue.
Australians, Japanese and New Zealand citizens also made a list of nationals who will now be able to use electronic passport gates at U.K. airports that were previously reserved for European citizens. The measure was announced Monday by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond as part of the budget.
The move will cut down significantly on the time it will take travelers from the five countries to get through airport line ups. It's part of the U.K.'s bid to open more broadly beyond Europe as it prepares to separate from the EU. Currently, travelers from the five countries are lumped in with people from around the world not part of the European Economic Area, and delays can be long.
To read more more about the pre-Brexit budget, click here
--With assistance from Benjamin Katz.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ellen Milligan in London at emilligan11@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Tara Patel
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