UK Immigration News

Conservative Party leader Michael Howard recently announced that, if the Tories return to power, there will be a major overhaul of British immigration policy, including an annual ceiling on immigration and withdrawal from the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.

"We are a stronger and more successful country because of the immigrant communities that have settled here. But we cannot continue to allow unlimited immigration into the United Kingdom indefinitely. Immigration needs to be controlled and it needs to be fair," Howard said.

Ron Noble, head of Interpol, recently spoke to a House ofLords committee in London and he did not shy away from sharing histhoughts on shortcomings in UK passport control at the borders.

Noble said he wasn't even asked for his passport number when entering the UK. Something he sees as a weakness in the system.

"It'sbeen proven in every single terrorist incident that a fraudulentpassport has been used," Noble told the committee adding Interpol wouldallow the UK to download all of its stolen passport numbers as atemporary solution.

Home Secretary David Blunkett finds himself on thin ice asinformation about his ex-lover's nanny's fast tracked visa applicationhits the news in a big way. Blunkett says he is not guilty of any wrongdoings, but an investigation will be launched shortly.

TheDaily Mail has published letters from the Home Office to LeonciaCasalme where it says her visa application could take up to a year.Still, another letter received by Casalme a few days later says herapplication will be processed in 19 days and that she will be allowedto stay in the UK indefinitely.

As of December 1 the second half of the Sector Based Scheme (SBS) quota will make 3,000 permits for the food processing sector available and 4,500 for the hospitality sector.

The 20 percent limit on the number of SBS work permits issued to anysingle nationality for each of the two sectors will still be in force.As a result, there will be no more hospitality permits issued toBangladeshi nationals for the time being.

Please read our Sector Based Scheme page for more information about this type of work permit.

The visa section of the British Embassy in Luxembourg will be closedfrom Nov. 30 this year. As of Dec. 1, UK visa applicants should applyto the British Consulate-General in Paris.

These applicationscan be made online, by post or in person, provided the person has anappointment. The British Consulate-General asks people not to drop inwithout appointments.

Applications for visit visas or EEA family permits may be made at any UK visa service office.

People holding a work permitwho are changing employment will be able to start working for a newemployer on the strength of the work permit permission letter grantedto the new employer providing they have an existing leave to remaincovering all or parts of the period of the new employment.