UK Immigration News

Guidance issued by one of Britain’s highest, dedicated immigration courts banning in-person hearings amid the coronavirus pandemic has been deemed unlawful. The President of the Upper Tribunal for Immigration and Asylum Claims (UTIAC) had told the court that UK immigration appeals should be determined ‘based on the paperwork’ amid COVID-19.

 

News that EU citizens will have access to the five-year Tech Nation visa, has swiftly been followed by an announcement that applications for the Tech Nation visa have increased by nearly 50% in 2020. The surge in applications has been attributed to Britain’s booming tech sector, which continues to attract top talent from around the world.

 

The Home Office has eased UK visa restrictions for migrant entrepreneurs, NHS workers and overstayers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s understood that penalties for overstaying a UK visa have been scrapped, while NHS workers currently in Britain on a visa can work anywhere without any limit on the number of hours they can work.

 

With the Brexit transition period nearing completion, Tech Nation has announced a five-year visa for EU citizens set to launch in January 2021. The Tech Nation Global Talent Visa, which replaced the Exceptional Talent visa launched in 2014, will be opened to top talent from the EU and offered for up to five years.

 

Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the UK, government updates on Tier 2 visa Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) availability have been intermittent throughout 2020. However, allocation numbers were updated on 11 November 2020 having not been published since July. 

 

Free movement between the EU and the UK will officially end on 31 December 2020 as the UK Immigration Act received Royal Assent and was signed into law on 11 November. According to a government press release, the signing of the act into law means that ‘it delivers on a manifesto commitment to restore faith in the UK immigration system.’