UK Immigration News

India and Nigeria have reacted angrily to the announcement by the UK's Home Secretary Theresa May that the UK intends to introduce 'security bonds' for some visitors in an attempt to ensure visa holders leave the UK when their visas expire. Nigeria has said that the move is likely to prevent a bilateral trade deal between the UK and the African country. India has warned that there may be implications for trade.

A poll of international students carried out on behalf of a UK trades union has found that over half of foreign students questioned said that 'the government's immigration cap makes them feel less welcome in the UK'.

The poll was carried out for the University and College Union (UCU), a trades union for university and college lecturers. 510 students from 105 UK higher education institutions were questioned.

The UK's Home Secretary, Theresa May, has announced that UK immigration will launch a pilot scheme in November which will test the effectiveness of making foreigners from 'high risk countries' pay £3,000 security bonds to prevent them from overstaying their UK visitor visas.

Mrs May, said that the pilot will target citizens from six countries; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana. The countries have been chosen because many citizens from those countries have been found to overstay their temporary UK visas and remain in the UK illegally.

UK Immigration has become more difficult in recent years. Each change to the immigration rules brings in tougher immigration requirements. The government has also closed several categories of visa; The Tier 1 (General) visa which allowed high value migrants to live and work in the UK was closed to almost everyone from 5 April 2011.

The acting head of the UK's visa and immigration services has appeared before a committee of MPs in Westminster to answer questions about her progress in improving the UK's visa and immigration systems. Sarah Rapson was made acting head of the newly formed UK Visas and Immigration Directorate (UKVID) in April 2013.

During an hour-long appearance before the Home Affairs Committee on 11th June 2013, Ms Rapson was questioned at length about backlogs in UKVID's systems, in particular in asylum cases and in the processing of visas.

An academic at one of the UK's leading universities has issued a report that the UK's new citizenship test, which was introduced in March 2013, is 'unfit for purpose'. Dr Thom Brooks, who teaches history at Durham University, said that the new test requires those who take it to know 'trivial facts' that 'many citizens born and bred in the UK would struggle to know'.