UK Immigration News

The UK Government has announced that it expects to reduce the level of student immigration into the country by almost a quarter million over the next five years, due to stricter visa rules.

A Home Office report said that the new student visa rules should lead to total net student migration from outside the European Union being reduced by 230,000 between 2011 and 2015.

According to an article in Engineering and Technology Magazine (E&T), the science and engineering industry in the UK is concerned that the recent tightening of British immigration laws will make it more difficult for the sector to recruit skilled workers.

The UK Government has launched a consultation on proposals to tighten immigration law concerning the Tier 2 and Tier 5 temporary worker route, and the overseas domestic worker route. The Government consultation will also consider proposals to break the link between temporary employment-based immigration and settlement.

Low skilled immigration into the UK, mainly from EU countries, is one of the factors that has resulted in an increase in net immigration into Britain even as the Government attempts to clamp down on immigration numbers.

666,000 foreign-born people were working in the British labour market during the first quarter of 2011. During the first quarter of 2002, there were only 298,000 foreign-born workers working in the British labour market.

2010 saw the greatest increase in UK immigration in five years. This is due to a big reduction in people leaving the UK and an increase in the number of Polish migrants coming to the UK. The net immigration figure increased by almost 100,000 in the year to September 2010.

As of 23 May 2011, late evidence submitted after a points-based immigration application will not be considered during the appeals process. According to the UK Border Agency (UKBA), two-thirds of appeals allowed by immigration judges are due to late evidence being submitted.

"For too long, the taxpayer has had to shoulder the burden of a system which allowed individuals to drag out their appeal by submitting new evidence at the last minute," said Immigration Minister Damian Green.