Immigration news

Campaigners have warned that UK schools could be put under unnecessary pressure to snoop on the UK immigration status of EU pupils from July. Fears are growing over a ‘hostile environment’ in schools, and damage to relationships with parents, when applications for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) close on 30 June 2021. 

 

The Home Office has been hit by a legal challenge over what has been described as ‘insufficient’ consultation on its New Plan for UK Immigration. Lawyers have argued that a consultation on proposed changes to the UK immigration and asylum system ‘failed to allow people to meaningfully respond’, according to a report published by The Independent.

 

Kamala Harris’ first international trip as US Vice President sparked a major backlash from Republicans who accused her of not taking the US immigration ‘crisis’ at the southern border with Mexico seriously. Harris returned from a visit to Guatemala and Mexico on June 9.

 

The Vice President has been blasted for what critics have described as ‘flippantly answering questions about why she has not yet visited the US border for an on the ground assessment’. Republicans claim that her failure to give a clear answer represents her ‘biggest stumble’ since she became President Joe Biden’s deputy.

Delegates at the 2021 NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference were warned that US visa processing delays are ‘unlikely to be resolved anytime soon’. Large numbers of US Embassies and Consulates around the world have not been processing visas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The UK Tier 1 investor visa is attracting wealthy Chinese and Hong Kong nationals despite the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research. Real estate firm Astons found that rich investors from China and Hong Kong were ‘most likely’ to head to the UK during the pandemic. 

 

Israeli nationals looking to apply for a US travel visa are being told that the next available appointments for an interview by US consular services is August 2020. Amid the pandemic, the backlog in consular services means that US visas for tourists have fallen down the priority list behind those applying for work or study visas or those traveling for medical reasons.