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09.02.2021 - Government unlawfully denied refugee status to Egyptian dissident on national security grounds

In the latest round of the legal saga involving Egyptian dissident Yasser Al-Siri, the Court of Appeal has ruled that the Home Office acted unlawfully in only granting him restricted leave to remain after an earlier First-tier Tribunal decision that he is a refugee. There was, the court found, no fresh evidence allowing the Home Office to get around the First-tier Tribunal’s decision. The case is Al-Siri v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWCA Civ 113.

Background

The political background to Mr Al-Siri’s case is well documented but, in brief, in 1994 he was convicted by a milit...

08.02.2021 - Exports from UK to EU down 68% since Brexit trade deal, say hauliers

Exports from Britain to the European Union fell by 68% in January as trade was disrupted after the end of a transition period following Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to a new survey of international hauliers.

Since the start of the year, businesses and hauliers have had to adapt to new trading arrangements, including new systems for companies and officials in Northern Ireland.

The government did not confirm the data and said disruption at the border had been minimal since Britain completed its journey out of the EU’s orbit at the of 2020 following an agreement on tradi...

08.02.2021 - Unauthorised migrants can get coronavirus vaccine, government confirms

“Illegal migrants’ vaccine amnesty” is the front page of today’s Daily Mail.  The paper reports that, in an “unprecedented” move, migrants will be vaccinated against coronavirus irrespective of their immigration status in the UK.

In fact this is nothing new: coronavirus diagnosis and treatment, including “routine vaccinations”, have been exempt from NHS England charges and status checks since January 2020. (Separate but similar provisions are in place for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.) 

The Home Office statement on this, circulated by press release overnight, says in full:

Coronavirus ...

05.02.2021 - The UK Chancellor offers more help to 1.4m firms repaying Covid loans

Businesses struggling during the pandemic are to be given more time to make the first repayment on government support loans.

The changes include giving companies an option to extend the length of the loan from six to ten years under a "pay-as-you-grow" initiative.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the move was to give companies "breathing space to get back on their feet".

About £45bn has been borrowed by more than 1.4 million small firms under the Bounce Back Loan scheme, which offers cheap loans of up to £50,000.

Under the existing scheme, firms get interest-free loans for the first year. But many ...

05.02.2021 - Covid-19: New UK hotel quarantine plan

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly has defended the government's plan to quarantine travellers in hotels, which begins on 15 February.

Arrivals from Covid variant hotspots will have to stay in a hotel for 10 nights.

Mr Cleverly said he did not know how many hotels had signed up yet.                                                                                                                                             

Labour said the scheme should be extended to all international travellers - not just some countries.

The hotel quarantine requirements are being introduced in an effort to...

04.02.2021 - Six very frequently asked questions about the EU Settlement Scheme

As we approach 30 June 2021, the deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, people are increasingly and understandably worried about their applications. In this post, we try to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the scheme, for those who haven’t applied yet.

1. What if… I don’t have an identity document?

Generally speaking, the Home Office will expect all applicants, including children, to submit a valid identity document. “Valid” means not expired.

For EU citizens — including, for the purposes of this article, citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland...

03.02.2021 - Brexit: UK to set up new state aid rules for business

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng sets out plans for a new UK-wide subsidy control system, for providing more flexible and tailored financial support to businesses.

Business Secretary wants local authorities and regional governments to have more power.

The EU rules were there to stop governments from providing companies with unfair advantages through cheap loans, tax breaks or funding. Now it has left the EU, the UK needs its own rules.

"Our new, more flexible system will empower public authorities and devolved administrations, and ensure fair competition for businesses across the UK," Mr Kwar...

01.02.2021 - Firms call for details of post lockdown reopening so they can plan

Business leaders have called on the government to work with them on a roadmap out of lockdown to unlock investment for a post-Covid recovery.

In a letter to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, the Confederation of British Industry says the time to plan for re-opening the economy in England is now.

Firms are "in the dark" about planning for the months ahead, the employers' group said.

A government spokesperson said lockdown would be lifted as soon as possible.

But the CBI, which speaks on behalf of about 190,000 businesses, said there is an opportunity to "use time wisely" to prepare for a safe ...

01.02.2021 - Appeal judges reject challenge to domestic abuse policy

In FA (Sudan) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWCA Civ 59, the Court of Appeal has confirmed that someone applying to stay in the UK under the domestic abuse rules must have had permission to remain as a partner. This appeal was a bold challenge to the validity of that requirement, on the basis that it was discriminatory. 

Background: the domestic abuse provisions

The case concerned the policy on short-term help for migrant victims of domestic abuse, originally introduced in April 2012 and now called the Destitute domestic violence concession (destitution being one of the c...

29.01.2021 - Mobile visa application system launches in February 2021 for Hong Kong British National Overseas citizens

Government press offices have a habit of re-announcing popular policies, and so it is with the BNO visa. The Home Office has confirmed that the special visa scheme for people from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) citizenship opens for applications from 31 January 2021.

The application process is digital first: applicants with a biometric chip in their passport will be able to use a smartphone app, just like with the EU Settlement Scheme, rather than turn up to a visa appointment in person. This Covid-friendly process only starts up on 23 February, though. In that sense you could argu...

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