News

29.09.2023 - Immigration update as regards changes in the immigration system in Autumn 2023

BRP Card Deliveries via Royal Mail 

As of Monday 18th September 2023, the Home Office has shifted to using Royal Mail for BRP card deliveries. A signature is no longer required. In case of delivery issues, redelivery can be arranged, or the BRP card can be collected from the local Royal Mail delivery office. Ensure your address details with UKVI are accurate since changes after BRP production are not possible. 

The introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) from 25 October 

  ETA will be introduced on a phased basis starting from 25 October 2023. 

  •  Applicable to Non-Visa Nation...

15.09.2023 - New visa fees set to come into effect next month

Increases to immigration and nationality fees to pay for vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises are set come into effect on 4 October, following legislation being laid in Parliament today (15 September).

The changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months is rising by £15 to £115, while the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise by £127 to £490, to equal the amount charged for in-country applications.

In July, the government announced a 15% increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an incr...

12.09.2023 - UK Introduces Transit Visa Requirement for Georgian and Russian Nationals

Summary

The United Kingdom has amended the Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014, now requiring Georgian and Russian nationals to secure a transit visa when passing through the UK without formally entering the country. The change aims to counter asylum claims made by individuals from these countries, which have reportedly misused the UK's existing transit provisions.

Fast-Tracked Legislation

Contrary to typical procedures where a statutory instrument takes at least 21 days to come into force after being presented before Parliament, the amendment was implemented just a day after its i...

07.09.2023 - Statement of changes of the immigration rules HC 1780

A new statement of changes has been published along with the explanatory memorandum and a written statement from the immigration minister. The biggest change is the removal of administrative review from decisions made under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Below we summarise the main changes. The vast majority of changes take effect on 5 October 2023, with some changes to the Youth Mobility Scheme only taking effect from 31 January 2024.

Administrative review removed for the EU Settlement Scheme and the EUSS family permit

Changes are being made to Appendix AR and Appendix AR(EU) to remove the right o...

07.08.2023 - Tripling of fines for those supporting illegal migrants

Fines are to be more than tripled for employers and landlords who allow illegal migrants to work for them or rent their properties, in the biggest shake up of civil penalties since 2014, the Home Secretary announced today (Monday 7 August).

The civil penalty for employers, which was last increased in 2014, will be raised to up to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach from £15,000, and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches from £20,000.

For landlords the fines will increase from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier for a first breach to up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier. Re...

03.08.2023 - Interest rate in the UK rises to 5.25%

The UK's interest rate has been raised to 5.25% by the Bank of England, as it continues trying to control soaring prices.

This means the Bank has increased the rate by 0.25% from 5% - the 14th hike in a row.

The last time the base rate was this high was in April 2008.

The Bank's base rate influences the cost of borrowing - meaning an increase can lead to more expensive mortgages. But it can be good news for savers, as banks may offer greater returns on savings accounts.

Higher interest rates are designed to cut inflation, by reducing borrowers' spending power.

While the UK inflation rate is fa...

31.07.2023 - Home Office changes immigration rules on receiving citizenship in case of long-term prison sentence

Serious criminals will be barred from claiming British citizenship under tough new rules that came into force on Monday (31 July).

Changes to the so-called ‘good character’ requirement of citizenship applications will see “stricter and more specific rules” applied to anyone who has received a 12-month prison sentence.

The changes remove the previous rules where some criminals could be granted British citizenship after a certain number of years had passed since the end of their sentence – regardless of the type of crime or where it was committed.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “British c...

28.07.2023 - ‘Minded to cancel’ process applies to dishonesty allegations at the UK border

Following our previous news article dated 14 July 2023 please see it available by the following link, we would like to expand on this topic and provide you with an extended immigration news which is intertwined with the previous one but in a more broad context.

A student whose leave was cancelled on arrival was wrongly denied the opportunity to comment on an allegation of falsified English language qualifications. So held the High Court in R (on the application of Tazeem) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 1828 (Admin), a case addressing the need for procedural fairness a...

24.07.2023 - Smoother travel for families through the UK border this summer

From Monday 24 July, children aged 10 or over will be able to enter the UK using eGates across 15 air and rail ports, helping families travel more easily.

Following successful trials across major ports including Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow Airports this spring, from Monday 24 July 2023, more families returning and eligible visitors to the UK over the school summer holiday will now benefit from the use of eGates as a faster way to travel through the UK border, with a recent YouGov poll showing that 42% of the UK public plan to jet abroad over the summer.

With passenger volumes expected to re...

20.07.2023 - New rules to force banks to explain account closures

Ministers will make it harder for banks to close accounts after the dispute between ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Coutts.

Banks will be forced to explain and delay any decision to close an account under the new rules, the Treasury said.

Customers will also be able to challenge account closures more easily, it added.

Before the new rules are fully introduced, let us look at what rights banks and consumers currently have, and what is next for the sector.

– Are banks allowed to close your account with no explanation?

Banks have the right to close a customer’s account in the same way that a pers...

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