UK Immigration News

The UK's Business Secretary, Vince Cable MP, says that the UK needs to attract wealthy Chinese immigrants, investors and tourists. To facilitate this Mr Cable said that the UK must simplify its visitor and business visa programmes.

Mr Cable wrote an article for UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph on 11th February 2013 in which he said 'China is the new economic superpower and we must treat its re-emergence with respect: as an opportunity rather than a threat.'

A leading UK investment organisation has issued a report which recommends that the UK immigration authorities introduce changes to its Tier 1 (high value migrants) visa regime in order to help kick-start the UK economy. UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported on 11th February 2013 that The British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) has issued a list of five 'quick-fix proposals' to help the UK economy recover without having to spend too much money on stimulating the economy.

We would like to draw your attention to several recent changes to the rules governing the grant of Tier 2 visas by the UK government. The rules were introduced on December 13th 2012.

Perhaps the change that will affect the most people is a new rule allowing skilled workers who hold Tier 2 visas to travel abroad, whether for work or pleasure, for up to 180 days per year without compromising their right to apply to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) for indefinite leave to remain at a later date.

The leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage made a speech in the European Parliament on 6th February 2013 saying that, if the UK cannot negotiate further restrictions on the movement of Romanian and Bulgarian workers to the UK, it will leave the European Union. Mr Farage said 'I have nothing against Romanians or Bulgarians but it is unacceptable that we should open our doors to them unconditionally from 1st January next year.'

Latest figures show UK most popular EU immigration destination

New figures from the European Union show that the UK was the most popular destination for migrants in Europe in 2010.

The 2010 figures have just been released by the EU's statistics agency Eurostat. They show that 591,000 immigrants came to the UK. The top four destinations were

1. UK 591,0002. Spain 465,2003. Italy 458,9004. Germany 404,100

These countries took about 60% of the total of immigrants coming to the 27 nation EU.

An Oxford professor of economics has written an open letter to the UK's Prime Minister, David Cameron, advising him to make immigration to the UK easier in order to improve the economy.

Professor Robert Hahn, a professor of economics at Oxford University, says that the UK government should pursue a three-point reform of the UK immigration regime which would revitalise the UK's economy.