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Immigration news

The US Federal Court of Appeals – known as the Ninth Circuit – recently ruled that H1B visas can be issued to computer programmers after confirming ‘speciality status’. In 2017, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had revoked speciality status for computer programmers, which made them eligible for H1B visas.

 

In an opinion piece for The Guardian, prominent Hong Kong activist Nathan Law revealed that he has applied for UK asylum. Earlier this month, workpermit.com reported that Mr Law, along with fellow activist Beatrice Li, had met with UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel ahead of the launch of the BNO visa, exclusively for Hong Kong residents.

 

Ahead of the launch of the UK’s new points-based immigration system on 1 January 2021 (in reality launched on 1 December 2020), the Home Office announced the opening of the new Frontier Worker Permit scheme. The new immigration route opened on 10 December and is reserved for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals as an alternative to the EU Settlement Scheme.  

From July 2021, all frontier workers must hold a work permit for UK entry. Eligibility for the scheme includes:

Amid several rejections before federal court judges across the US, the Supreme Court has refused to rule out Trump’ plans to expel illegal immigrants from the US Census. While it may prove to be a temporary victory, it means that if illegal immigrants are excluded from the Census it could affect how many representatives a district gets in Congress.  

According to the US Constitution, Congressional representatives will be apportioned among states, while the Census must include ‘the complete number of persons’ in each state.

The UK immigration status of domestic abuse victims should not be shared by police, according to a groundbreaking investigation. A report into the first ever ‘super complaint’ submitted by Liberty and Southall Black Sisters and published by three police oversight bodies, details the police practice of sharing victims’ immigration data with the Home Office.

 

Lawrence Bacow, the president of the USA’s oldest university, Harvard, has urged President elect, Joe Biden, to prioritize US immigration reform for international students. In recent months, the Trump administration has attempted to restrict US F1 and M1 student visas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking legal challenges from Harvard and other universities.