22nd Dec 2011
A Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules for entry to the UK has recently been presented to Parliament. These include the country allocations under the Youth Mobility Scheme for 2012.
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21st Dec 2011
Regulations requiring Bulgarian and Romanian (EU2) nationals who wish to work in the UK to gain permission from the UK Border Agency have been extended until the end of 2013.
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20th Dec 2011
The Transatlantic Trends: Immigration report, which explores public attitudes towards immigration across the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, reveals negative attitudes across the board. The position is most marked in the UK, with 68% of citizens agreeing with the statement that immigration is ‘more of a problem than an opportunity’, compared with 53% in the US and an average of 52% in the rest of Europe.
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14th Dec 2011
Two recent reports have highlighted the dichotomy between setting the UK on the road to economic recovery and the government’s promised objective of reducing net UK immigration to the “tens of thousands”.
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8th Dec 2011
The BBC has highlighted disturbing facts surrounding what has become known as the ‘Lille Loophole’, which allows passengers to travel from Belgium to the UK without passing through immigration controls.
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7th Dec 2011
The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) has put plans before Parliament to increase the number of foreign nationals required to hold biometric residence permits (BRPs). If approved, the proposals will affect all foreign nationals from outside the European Economic Area who are already in the UK and who apply for leave to remain for more than six months.
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6th Dec 2011
Nearly 70% of people in the UK are in favour of making cuts to immigration, according to new research conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of Oxford University's Migration Observatory. However, regional responses to the survey differ considerably.
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30th Nov 2011
Further concerns over UK immigration controls and border security have been highlighted in a report by Nicola Stanbridge for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme. In the broadcast, an anonymous Immigration Officer described problems associated with electronic passport gates, which were introduced at Manchester airport in 2008 and more recently at Heathrow.
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29th Nov 2011
New figures have added fuel to the flames of the government’s desire to reduce UK immigration to the “tens of thousands”, with net migration for 2010 reaching 252,000. This represents the highest calendar-year total on record.
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25th Nov 2011
Widespread disruption is anticipated at UK ports and airports next week as thousands of border staff are expected to join public sector strikes in protest over changes to their pension entitlement. With 12 hour delays possible, Dearson Winyard is advising its clients not to travel internationally from Tuesday, 29th November to Thursday, 1st December.
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11th Nov 2011
Olympic Games Family Members (GFM), such as athletes, broadcasters, coaches, support staff etc, during the accreditation period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (30/03/12 to 08/11/12), they will be able to use their Olympics/Paralympics Identity Card in lieu of a visa and will therefore not need to provide their biometrics to the UK Border Agency prior to travelling to the UK.
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11th Nov 2011
Tough new requirements for sponsors have this month been published by the UKBA. Primarily in relation to document retention responsibilities, the revisions significantly increase the timeframes an employer must retain its records.
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11th Nov 2011
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has issued new policy guidance following the Supreme Court's judgement that the requirement for non-EU spouses to be at least 21 years old before a marriage visa is granted is unlawful.
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11th Nov 2011
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has refused to accept responsibility for relaxed immigration checks on the UK border which may have allowed terrorist suspects or foreign criminals into the country.
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11th Nov 2011
The UK Government has asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the level of the limit for Tier 2 of the points based system in 2012/13.
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11th Nov 2011
In a bid to reduce net immigration to the UK, Government advisers have recommended that skilled migrants will need to earn between £31,000 and £39,000 a year to settle permanently.
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13th Oct 2011
In April 2011 the government introduced an annual limit of 20,700 non EEA national workers permitted to enter the UK under the Tier 2 route.
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19th Sep 2011
The UK Border Agency has recently published the findings of the review by the Migrant Advisory Commission (MAC) on the Shortage Occupation List.
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21st Jul 2011
The UK Border Agency has recently announced that the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) scheme will be opening on 9th August 2011.
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15th Jul 2011
The UKBA has launched a consultation to consider further restrictive changes to the immigration system.
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4th Jul 2011
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has urged UK businesses to employ young Britons, rather than relying on foreign workers. In a speech given in Madrid he warned that there is a "serious risk" that British people will fail to benefit as the economy recovers if firms look elsewhere for workers.
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21st Jun 2011
Government plans to reduce net migration will fail a report has found.
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15th Jun 2011
Plans to change Tier 2 from a route to UK settlement to a temporary category have been unveiled by the UKBA.
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9th Jun 2011
The UKBA has confirmed an immediate revocation of the licence for sponsors who incorrectly issue an 'unrestricted' certificate to a 'restricted' migrant.
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22nd Feb 2011
UKBA management of Tier 2 has been heavily critised in a damning report by John Vine, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency.
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18th Feb 2011
Plans for measures to reform Tier 2 have now been announced in a government statement of intent. In an effort to cut non-EU immigration to 'tens of thousands' by 2015, the current annual allocation for sponsors will now be assigned on a monthly basis.
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