News

Sep 27, 2021 - HGVisas: what do we know so far?

The government has announced that HGV drivers and poultry workers will be eligible for temporary visas from next month. The policy represents a shift from the firm line against “low-skilled” immigration post-Brexit. Here is what we know about it so far.

There are two government press releases outlining the plan. The first was made public on Friday night. It says:

… 5,000 HGV drivers will be able to come to the UK for 3 months in the run-up to Christmas, providing short-term relief for the haulage industry. A further 5,500 visas for poultry workers will also be made available for the same short...

Sep 15, 2021 - Immigration application made during visa expiry grace period is not “in time”

When is an immigration application made “in time”? Does it need to be submitted before the expiry of the applicant’s visa? Or is an application made after the visa expires, but within the grace period permitted under the Immigration Rules, also “in time”?

This is the issue considered by the Court of Appeal in Secretary of State for the Home Department v Ali [2021] EWCA Civ 1357.

The court confirmed that an application is only in time if it is submitted before the date of expiry of the person’s visa (in the court’s more technical language, their “leave to remain”). The effect of the decision is...

Sep 10, 2021 - New statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 617

On 10 September 2021 the Home Office published a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 617). It is 183 pages long and makes adjustments in quite a number of areas. Some of the main changes are:

  • A new International Sportsperson route, consolidating what were the Tier 2 and Tier 5 sporting visas
  • Tweaks to Global Talent, making it slightly easier to get an endorsement, and doubling the number of awards that mean no endorsement is required
  • Changes to EU Settlement Scheme family permits, including “to allow a joining family member to apply to the EUSS whilst in the UK as a ...

Sep 10, 2021 - New statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 617, Part 3

Afghan citizens

Tweaks to existing resettlement schemes for Afghans, including granting indefinite leave to remain from the outset

Paragraphs 276BA1 to 276BS4 in Part 7 of the Rules cover permission for Afghan citizens to come to the UK under two special schemes. These are the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the ex-gratia scheme. The paragraphs in question are being replaced by new text, rather than just amended.

One significant change is to paragraph 276BA1. This currently says that Afghans who qualify for these schemes will be granted permission to enter the UK for five years. I...

Sep 10, 2021 - New statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 617 Part 2

Changes to the visitor rules to provide further clarity on the activities students can undertake in the UK and when employees of overseas manufacturers or suppliers can come to the UK as visitors

The visitor rules are being updated to incorporate a concession in the Visit guidance, which allows students to come to the UK to undertake activities relating to a course they are undertaking at a UK institution from overseas via distance learning.

The changes will also allow students studying nursing overseas at the equivalent of degree level to come to the UK as a visitor to undertake electives wi...

Sep 07, 2021 - National Insurance rise could hit economy

A new health and social care tax to pay for reforms and the NHS in England has come under fire from business groups.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said it would "be a drag anchor on jobs growth" as firms emerge from the pandemic and furlough winds down.

Manufacturing trade group Make UK's boss also described its introduction as "ill-timed as well as illogical".

The tax will begin as a 1.25% rise in National Insurance for employees and employers from April 2022.

It will then become a separate tax on earned income from 2023 - appearing on an employee's payslip.

The prime minister has in...

Sep 07, 2021 - Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister outlines new 1.25% health and social care tax to pay for reforms

A new health and social care tax will be introduced across the UK to pay for reforms to the care sector and NHS funding in England.

Boris Johnson said it would raise £12bn a year, designed to tackle the health backlog caused by the Covid pandemic and to bolster social care.

He accepted the tax broke a manifesto pledge but said the "global pandemic was in no-one's manifesto".

The tax will increase from April 2022 by 1.25% for both workers and employers and will then become a separate tax on earned income from 2023 - calculated in the same way as National Insurance and appearing on an employee's...

Sep 07, 2021 - After deprivation of citizenship comes months or years in limbo

The Home Office is routinely missing its target for issuing new residence permits to people who lose their British citizenship, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show. Those deprived of their citizenship for (often historic) deception are promised a decision on their human rights claim to remain in the UK within eight weeks, but on average it takes eight months. In the meantime, those affected are effectively rendered unauthorised migrants with no right to work.

Deprivation of citizenship

The power for the Home Secretary to deprive someone of their British citizenship is in...

Sep 07, 2021 - House prices at new high but pace of growth slows

House prices hit a record high in August, but the annual pace of growth in property values slowed, according to the UK's largest mortgage lender.

The Halifax said the cost of a typical home rose 0.7% last month to £262,954.

In the year to August, house prices rose 7.1%, it said, down from a rate of 7.6% in July.

But that figure masked big differences between the UK's nations and regions, reflecting buyers' interests in seeking more space and rural locations.

"Given the rapid gains seen over the past 12 months, August's rise was relatively modest and the annual rate of house price inflation con...

Sep 07, 2021 - Triple lock pension pledge suspended for one year

The government has confirmed a one-year suspension of the "triple lock" formula for annual state pension increases.

The move follows government concern that a big post-pandemic rise in average earnings would have meant pensions increasing by 8%.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said the average earnings component would be disregarded in the 2022-23 financial year.

Instead, the rise will be the consumer inflation rate or 2.5%.

"Tomorrow, I will introduce a Social Security Uprating and Benefits Bill for 2022-23 only," she told the Commons.

"It will ensure the basic and new state pensio...

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