Immigration news

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency responsible for issuing US green cards, temporary visas and granting US citizenship, is looking to improve its services, despite having no detailed plan on how to pay for improvements. The news comes less than a year after USCIS was faced with having to furlough approximately 70% of its workforce.

 

Haitian immigrants living in the US have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by the Biden administration. The TPS US immigration program protects nationals from certain countries from deportation and allows them to apply for US work permits. Those eligible for the Haitian TPS designation needed to be in the US as of May 21.

 

TPS will be granted to Haitians for a period of 18 months amid ongoing security concerns, poverty and human rights abuses in the country. 

UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has officially unveiled her so-called ‘New Plan for UK Immigration’ against a backdrop of scathing criticism. New reforms were officially launched on 24 May, with restrictions targeting everything from asylum to immigration lawyers and EU citizen travel.

 

The United States has started to restrict US visas for those deemed to be undermining efforts to resolve deadly fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to a report published by The Independent. The US government said that it’s time for the international community to take action in a conflict that has sparked allegations of ethnic cleansing and fears of famine.

 

Half-term holidaymakers have been warned of heaving UK immigration queues at UK ports and airports, with the Border Force Union warning passengers to expect wait times of up to six hours. Queues during the next school half-terms are expected to hit levels not seen since summer 2020.

 

Meanwhile, Border Force officers are also expecting a surge in the number of travellers mixing from ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green-list’ countries, sparking fears of a fresh COVID-19 wave. 

According to a report published by The Guardian, a US journalist has been arrested in the UK after overstaying his UK visa. Barrett Brown was reportedly arrested for public order incitement offences in relation to a protest banner he was allegedly holding, which said ‘Kill Cops’, and overstaying his UK visa.