Immigration news

Despite several attempts made by Trump to abolish the Obama-era DACA immigration program, more than 170 new applicants became the first people in several years to be accepted into the initiative, according to a US government court filing.   

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report, submitted to Brooklyn federal court, shows that 171 new DACA immigration applications were approved between November 14 and the end of 2020. However, a further 500 applications were denied or rejected, with 2,713 applications made in total.

Former MEP and anti-immigrant protagonist, Nigel Farage, has taken a swipe at UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Home Secretary, Priti Patel, over what he has described as a ‘post-Brexit immigration mess.’ As of 1 January 2021, the UK entered into a new relationship with the EU following the completion of the Brexit transition period.  

However, in a column for The Telegraph, Farage took aim at Johnson and Patel for failing to handle continued illegal immigrant crossings in the Channel.

Just days after Britain officially left the European Union, UK residents of Spain looking to return home were wrongly denied permission to board flights by British Airways amid Brexit rules confusion. With the Brexit transition period now complete, UK passport holders no longer have automatic access to the European Union.

 

Meanwhile, Spain – along with several other EU nations – has imposed tougher immigration and border restrictions to try and slow the spread of coronavirus – a new strain of which recently emerged in the UK.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been experiencing severe delays in scheduling or rescheduling Immigration Application Support Center (ASC) appointments to collect biometrics. Several factors are currently contributing to delays in processing times including demand and staff availability.

 

Outgoing US President, Donald Trump, has extended his controversial US work visa and green card ban until March 31, 2021.  You can still submit petitions for example for L1 visas and certain other visas to USCIS Service Centers.  However, visa processing for many people applying abroad at an US Embassy or Consulate may be delayed.  The Trump administration has attributed the extension of the ban to ‘continued economic woes’ caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK’s new visa and immigration system will ban EU migrants from accessing state benefits for five years. Following the end of free movement between the EU and UK, as of 1 January 2021, EU migrants are now subject to the same UK visa and immigration rules as non-EU citizens.