Immigration news

Outspoken congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has demanded that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be abolished. AOC’s outburst comes after she blasted the Biden administration for reopening a Trump-era ‘temporary influx center’ for unaccompanied minors in Texas. 

 

The Home Office has been urged to stop inflicting misery on communities after data emerged showing 190 UK immigration raids on nursing homes. Of the raids, only 37 care-staff were deported between 2015 and 2019. 

 

Campaign officer for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), Mary Atkinson, said that the raids demonstrated just how ‘out of control the hostile environment has become.’

A controversial Trump-era US immigration policy is set to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. The public charge rule blocks immigrants from securing legal permanent residency in the United States if they are likely to rely on state benefits such as food stamps. The rule was brought back into effect in November 2020 having been blocked by a Chicago judge.

 

US visas granted under the 2020 Diversity Visa lottery have been extended following a federal judge’s ruling. Winners from the 2020 Diversity Visa lottery have been embroiled in a legal battle challenging a Trump-era policy that prevents them from entering the US. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered visas to be extended by a further six months.

 

UK chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will reportedly launch a fresh UK visa scheme to help fintech firms based in London attract more global talent following Brexit. Priority access will be given to professionals in the tech industry under a new, fast-track visa scheme as part of the wider post-Brexit UK immigration system. 

 

Calls for foreign NHS staff serving on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus to be granted UK indefinite leave to remain are growing. Approximately 170,000 overseas nationals from across 200 countries work for the NHS, many of whom have a UK visa that can be extended by 12 months.