UK Immigration News

Five illegal immigrants have been arrested after turning up for work to clean a British Home Office building. They were working for a firm contracted by the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate's (IND) Becket House, in central London.

A Home Office spokesman said the Nigerian cleaners were arrested on their first day after standard checks.

The new EU Free Movement of Persons Directive came in to force in the UK earlier this year on April 30 and this will bring changes to the application process of family members of EEA nationals working or studying in the UK.

It will now be possible for civil partners and extended family members of EEA nationals to qualify for the Family Permit if they meet requirements of being in a relationship recognized by the UK.

Different restrictions will apply for family members of EEA nationals who are studying in the UK.

If you are a national of one of the new EU Countries from one of the former Eastern Bloc Countries you will normally need to come under the Worker Registration Scheme. The number of people coming to the UK from these Countries has been much greater than expected with hundreds of thousands of people coming to the UK.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) predicts 56,000 Romanian and Bulgarian workers will come to the UK if their countries join the European Union next year.

The think tank, estimated 41,000 Romanians and 15,000 Bulgarians would come and work in the UK next year. The two countries have the opportunity to join the EU from January 1, but a final date has not been set.

According to UK government figures released April 23, five million new homes will be needed in Britain over the next 20 years with 1.5 million required because of record levels of immigration.

The new figures released by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, made no mention of immigration, but officials conceded that it formed 31% of the new household growth.

The UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), released its figures for UK immigration for 2004. The statistics revealed that net immigration to Britain rose by nearly 50% on the previous year.

The data released April 18, showed this rise in UK immigration was also matched by the highest recorded departure of British nationals leaving for a new life overseas. The number of departing UK citizens is estimated to be in the vicinity of 120,000.