UK Immigration News

More than a week after UK immigration enforcement officers attempted to detain two Indian men in Glasgow on suspicion of immigration offences, politicians in the city have urged the Home Office to stop the practice of dawn raids. However, the government agency has vowed to deport the two men that were freed after protesters swarmed an immigration vehicle.

 

UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has officially unveiled her so-called ‘New Plan for UK Immigration’ against a backdrop of scathing criticism. New reforms were officially launched on 24 May, with restrictions targeting everything from asylum to immigration lawyers and EU citizen travel.

 

Half-term holidaymakers have been warned of heaving UK immigration queues at UK ports and airports, with the Border Force Union warning passengers to expect wait times of up to six hours. Queues during the next school half-terms are expected to hit levels not seen since summer 2020.

 

Meanwhile, Border Force officers are also expecting a surge in the number of travellers mixing from ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green-list’ countries, sparking fears of a fresh COVID-19 wave. 

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced the launch of a US-style digital visa system in Britain. The Home Secretary claims that the system will help the UK government accurately count, for the first time, the number of people entering and exiting the UK. 

 

Under the new system, people travelling to the UK without a visa or immigration status would have to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) document – similar to the US ESTA. An ETA will automatically determine the eligibility of travellers for UK entry in advance, according to Patel.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that it has secured UK visa concessions for models and creative freelancers. After working closely with the British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA), and the Home Office with the support of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the BFC was able to secure an agreement.

 

UK immigration lawyers have been left fuming by reforms that could see them hit with ‘wasted cost orders’ (WCO) as part of Home Office plans to end what it describes as ‘the practice of bringing immigration and asylum claims without merit and at the last minute to delay the deportation process’.