News

11.02.2025 - Nationality applications - guidance good character updated to clarify that applications made after 10 February 2025 that include illegal entry will normally be refused citizenship, regardless of when the illegal entry occurred

Good character guidance amended to block refugees from naturalisation.

Any person applying for citizenship from 10 February 2025, who previously entered the UK illegally will normally be refused, regardless of the time that has passed since the illegal entry took place.

Arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey.

A person who applies for citizenship from 10 February 2025 who has previously arrived without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey will normally b...

07.02.2025 - Frequently asked questions: family member applications to the EU Settlement Scheme

Question:

Is there a requirement for durable partners to have cohabited in the UK before 2020 – or can the partnership/cohabitation have taken place entirely outside the UK?

Answer:

There is no requirement for durable partners to have cohabited in the UK. Whether a relationship was durable by 31 December 2020 is a question of fact based on the individual circumstances of the couple. There is no requirement to have lived together at all to be in a durable relationship e.g. cultural or religious reasons may mean a couple have lived apart despite being in a durable relationship.

However, if there...

31.01.2025 - Children being sponsored by a parent or legal guardian: Homes for Ukraine

A parent (or legal guardian) who holds permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to sponsor their child under Homes for Ukraine.

Children sponsored by their parents (or legal guardians) will hold permission to live in the UK for up to 18 months. They will have access to education, healthcare, benefits and employment (as appropriate under UK law).

A parent or legal guardian who is sponsoring their child will not qualify for thank you payments.

Both the applicant child and their sponsoring parent must meet all the requirements under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for the visa to be iss...

17.01.2025 - EU Settlement Scheme status automation

The EUSS has provided 5.7 million EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members with the status they need to continue living and working in the UK following departure from the European Union.

Successful applicants to EUSS receive ‘pre-settled status’ or ‘settled status’:

  • pre-settled status is limited leave to enter or remain, usually granted if the applicant has been resident in the UK for less than 5 years
  • settled status is indefinite leave to enter or remain, usually granted if the applicant has been resident for at least 5 years.

Pre-settled status holders currently need to make...

15.01.2025 - Significant changes made to guidance on sponsoring workers

The government published a number of significant changes to their guidance for work sponsors

Brief summary of key changes

  • New restrictions have been introduced restricting which sponsorship costs an employer is able to pass on to the employee – this will affect clawback agreements between employers and sponsored workers.
  • They have added to the list of people who fall within the definition of “you and your” when referring to the sponsor.
  • Significant changes have been made to rules regarding the key personnel a sponsor must have – these will affect new sponsor licence applications a...

16.12.2024 - Court of Appeal allows appeal on EU Settlement Scheme dependency rules

The Court of Appeal has said that a child, who is over 21 and has rights of residence based on dependency on their EU citizen parent, does not lose those rights if they start working and are no longer financially dependent on the parent. Essentially, dependency is determined at the date of application and once that has been established, the right to work takes precedence over the requirement for ongoing dependency. The case is R (Ali) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWCA Civ 1546.

Background

The appellant was born in Bangladesh on 22 September 1994 and applied for an EEA fa...

04.12.2024 - Home Office minister makes statement on eVisas. Extending use of expiring BRPs

Today Seema Malhotra MP the Minister for Migration and Citizenship has made a written statement. For those whose BRP expires at the end of the year, provisions have been put in place for travel:

we have also listened to concerns about the risk to customers who are travelling after 31 December, where their underlying status has not expired. In order to smooth the transition to eVisas, we have decided to allow carriers to accept a BRP or EUSS BRC expiring on or after 31 December 2024 as valid evidence of permission to travel until at least 31 March and this date will be kept under review. Custom...

26.11.2024 - Urgent Update – Changes to Long Residence Rules for those under Ukraine Schemes

The Home Office has announced important changes to the Immigration Rules concerning the Long Residence route, with these amendments set to take effect from the 18th of December 2024. These changes, outlined in the Statement of Changes (HC 334), mark a significant development in the treatment of time spent in the UK under certain visa schemes. 

A key element of the updated rules is the explicit exclusion of time spent under the Ukraine Schemes from the qualifying period for Long Residence applications. From the 18th of December 2024, individuals who have resided in the UK under these schemes wi...

26.11.2024 - Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme from 4 February 2025

At 9am on 4 February 2025, the Ukraine Extension Scheme will close and the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will open. Those with leave under the current Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for a further 18 months of leave with the same rights they currently hold. Children born in the UK to parents with leave under the schemes will also be able to use this route.

A new paragraph 39E(6) introduces provisions for periods of overstaying of up to 90 days to be disregarded where the extension application is made between 4 February 2025 and 4 August 2025.

Appendix Long Residence is being amende...

26.11.2024 - Columbia added to visa national list from 3pm today

Columbia has been added to the list of countries that must apply for a visitor visa in advance of travelling to the UK. From 3pm today Appendix Visa National is amended to include Columbia and Appendix ETA National List will be amended to remove it as they will no longer be included in the countries that can use the Electronic Travel Authorisation process (this was due to take effect for Columbia from tomorrow).

The latest available published statistics demonstrate this trend with the number of asylum claims rising from 2, 4 and 7 in the first 3 quarters in 2022, to 105 in quarter 4 of 2022. ...

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