UK Immigration News

If you are a spectator, athlete, or media professional, there are a few things you should know about visiting the UK for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

If you are a spectator you may need to obtain a visitor's visa to enter the UK. Processing times for visas are usually 15 working days; However, you can apply for a visa up to three months before your planned date of travel.

An Indian woman living in the UK is unable to bring her husband to live with her in the UK due to a new law which requires spouse immigrants to speak English. The couple is now bringing a legal challenge to this law in the UK courts.

British citizen Rashida Chapti applied for her husband of 34 years, Vali Chapti to come and stay with her permanently in the UK. They have six children together.

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent scheme to open 9 August 2011

Starting 9 August 2011, exceptionally talented leaders in the fields of science, humanities, engineering, and arts will be able to immigrate tothe UK under a new Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) immigration category.

A parliamentary committee has taken the UK Government to task over its recent tightening of student immigration rules, saying that the new restrictions could cost the UK economy £3.6 billion over the next four years.

UK universities depend heavily on fees from non-EU students who pay up to three times as much as students from Britain and the EU.

A Northern Ireland MP, Jim Shannon, has called for immigration changes that would allow Filipino fisherman to keep on working in Northern Ireland.

Under current immigration rules, approximately 70 fisherman would probably not be allowed to continue working in the UK.

Shannon aired his concerns to the Migration Advisory Committee on 18 July 2011. The Migration Advisory Committee is a panel tasked by the UK Government to advise on UK immigration policy.

MPs are warning that recent restrictions on UK immigration could hurt businesses and damage the UK economy.

A panel of MPs which include both Labour and Conservative members will publish a paper warning about the potential problems for UK businesses as a result of the immigration restrictions being put in place.