News
07.09.2021 - 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...
07.09.2021 - 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...
07.09.2021 - 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...
07.09.2021 - 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...
07.09.2021 - 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...
07.09.2021 - EU, EEA and Swiss citizens ID Cards for entry to the UK
From the 1 October 2021, most EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will only be able to travel to the UK using a valid passport. ID cards will no longer be accepted as a valid travel document for entry to the UK. If EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not have a passport from 1 October, they are liable to be refused entry to the UK.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who hold pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or who have made a valid application under the scheme which is still pending, and those whose rights are protected under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (such Frontier workers) will b...
06.09.2021 - Coronavirus and the UK immigration system (as of 06 September 2021)
People stuck outside the UK
For people who were “unable to travel back to the UK due to coronavirus travel restrictions” up to that date, “a short break of up to 6 months in continuous residence will be overlooked and you will face no future adverse immigration consequences as a result”.
For those worried about breaking their period of continuous residence in the UK for the purposes of indefinite leave to remain, Appendix Continuous Residence now states that absences caused by “travel disruption due to… pandemic” will not count towards the 180-day maximum. There is also guidance for people wit...
02.09.2021 - A look at the skilled immigration sponsorship roadmap
The Government has released details of its sponsorship ‘roadmap’ for employers recruiting skilled workers from abroad. This follows on from the publication of its New Plan for Immigration back in March 2021. The new roadmap sets out the Home Office’s proposals for long-overdue ‘radical changes’ to the sponsorship system, which will come into effect over the next three years. It promises to create a simpler and streamlined service, which – in theory – should be easier to navigate and substantially reduce the sheer time and effort it currently takes to employ an overseas national in a sponsored ...
01.09.2021 - How electronic travel authorisations could harden the Irish border
The Nationality and Borders Bill 2021 has lain dormant over the summer but will be taken up again once Parliament returns on 6 September. Down in the miscellaneous provisions is a requirement for people entering the UK without a visa or British/Irish passport to register in advance. Known as electronic travel authorisation, the system will be familiar to British or Irish people travelling to the United States: they don’t need a full-on visit visa, but do need to complete and pay for an ESTA. The ETA, due to come in by the end of 2024, is the same thing but for non-visa nationals entering the U...
31.08.2021 - Court of Appeal confirms that 3C leave can be revived
When a person’s visa expires whilst they have an outstanding application or appeal, they have what is referred to as “3C leave”. This is named after section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, which essentially provides that the person’s visa continues until the application is decided.
An important and seemingly simple provision. Without it a person becomes an overstayer, subject to the hostile environment. However, the full text of the provision reveals a more complex framework:
(1) This section applies if—
(a) a person who has limited leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom applies to th...
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