
Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 14 February 2025
With effect from 10th February 2025, recent updates to the UKVI’s Good Character Guidance would significantly limit refugees’ eligibility for British Citizenship. According to the new provisions, anyone who has previously entered the UK without the required paperwork or through what the Home Office refers to as “dangerous journeys” will almost certainly have their citizenship application denied, regardless of when the entrance took place. Compared to earlier laws that merely took into account illegal immigration within a ten-year period, this is a substantial change.
Since there is no right of appeal and naturalisation applications cost £1,630, many qualified people would be discouraged from applying at all. Discretion may be used in “exceptional circumstances” according to the guidance, but ministerial pronouncements show that they will be very few. According to recent research, 62% of Labour voters favour granting refugees the ability to naturalise regardless of how they entered the country, indicating that these reforms could not be in line with popular opinion.
With the Home Office power reporting a notable 38% rise in workplace raids and arrests since taking power, the Labour government has stepped up its immigration enforcement efforts. The necessity for tougher enforcement of immigration laws, especially against firms that take advantage of unauthorised workers, has been highlighted by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Over 16,400 people, including failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals, have been deported from the UK since the election as a result of this crackdown, which includes high-profile deportation operations.
Indian eateries, takeaway and cafés are coming under increased scrutiny for the Home Office’s historic drive on unlawful employment in the hospitality industry. In January alone, 828 establishments were raided, a 48% rise from the previous year. This led to 609 arrests, including seven people from a single Humberside Indian eatery.
These events highlight how important it is for licensed sponsors in the restaurant industry to continue to adhere strictly to their sponsorship obligations. Sponsors must guarantee flawless right-to-work inspections, accurate record-keeping, and timely reporting of any changes in sponsored workers’ situations considering the Home Office’s expanded enforcement capabilities and increased raid frequency. Noncompliance has serious repercussions, including the possibility of licence revocation, hefty fines, and harm to the business and personal reputation.
Opponents within the party, such as former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, contend that adopting Reform UK’s position could alienate Labour’s core supporters while legitimising more extreme anti-immigration views, despite the government’s insistence that these steps are required to address illegal migration and workplace exploitation. This approach seems to be motivated by electoral considerations, especially in ‘red wall’ constituencies where Reform UK is becoming a more significant obstacle.
The UK government continues to offer a remarkably wide variety of legal avenues for skilled workers. According to a recent analysis, in addition to more conventional professional categories, the list of qualifying employment includes surprising jobs like dog walkers, DJs, and Pilates teachers. This post-Brexit extension of eligibility for semi-skilled jobs under the skilled worker visas shows a more sophisticated approach to meeting the diverse employment demands of the UK.
The Government is dedicated to bringing in talented individuals from a variety of industries who can support the UK economy through the right routes, even as it works to stop illegal immigration. Finding the correct sponsoring employer and adhering to the legal requirements are more important than the occupation’s perceived importance.
Finding legal ways to enter and stay in the UK has never been more important than it is now, especially in light of recent developments, especially the updates to Guidance on Good Character from February 2025. Regardless matter how long ago they entered the UK illegally or how much they have since contributed to British society; the new guidelines essentially put a permanent barrier to naturalisation for those individuals. For immigration professionals counselling vulnerable clients—particularly asylum seekers who might have been forced by circumstances to take perilous routes in order to reach safety—this presents serious difficulties. The consequences are especially severe for people who have established families, jobs, and lives in the UK only to learn that their initial method of admission may forever bar them from obtaining full citizenship.
HJT’s timely live online course UKVI Removals: Updates & Contesting Challenges provides crucial advice. This comprehensive session, led by David Jones, will give practitioners current knowledge of regulations and case law in addition to useful tactics for handling removal cases with an added challenge of tight deadlines. Early booking is advised as the places are limited.
For more information on our other live online courses, visit here
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For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, visit our blog here
Immigration News
UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’ – The Guardian
The Home Office has been accused of quietly blocking thousands of refugees from applying for citizenship if they arrived in the UK by small boats or hidden in vehicles. Guidance for staff assessing people who have applied for naturalisation says that applicants who have “made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”
For full report, click here
Home Office smashes targets with mass surge in migrant removals – UKVI News
Nearly 19,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders have been returned since the election to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America following a major escalation in immigration enforcement by the Home Office.
For full report, click here
Judge who granted Palestinian family asylum made wrong call, says Keir Starmer – The Guardian
A judge who granted a Palestinian family the right to live in the UK after they applied through a scheme originally meant for Ukrainian refugees made the wrong decision, Keir Starmer has said.
For full report, click here
DJ, dog walker and homeopath among roles on UK skilled worker visa list – The Guardian
Canine beauticians, DJs and Pilates instructors are among the categories of overseas workers eligible to apply for UK skilled worker visas, an Oxford academic has found. As the government promises a white paper later this year to slash the numbers entering the UK to work, a list of specific and in some cases unusual “middle-skilled” jobs to which foreign workers can still apply has been identified
For full report, click here
Migrant workers in UK to fill care roles ‘charged up to £20,000’ in illegal fees – The Guardian
Migrant workers who come to the UK to bolster the country’s care system are having to share beds, sleep rough, and are in some cases being charged more than £20,000 in illegal fees, according to research. A survey of more than 3,000 people who have travelled to the UK on health and care worker visas found that just under a quarter had paid fees to their employer or an intermediary upfront before coming to the UK, in return for the promise of a job.
For full report, click here
Deportation footage ‘enables mainstreaming of racism’, Clive Lewis says – The Guardian
Left-leaning Labour politicians have accused the Home Office of “enabling the mainstreaming of racism” after footage showing people being removed from the UK was released for the first time. The government announced that nearly 19,000 refused asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders had been returned to their home countries since the general election.
For full report, click here
Record number of asylum seekers died in 2024 while in care of Home Office – The Guardian
Fifty-one people died in Home Office-provided accommodation in 2024, an increase of 11 on the previous year, and a more than twelvefold rise since 2019 when four people died.
For full report, click here
Home Office launches new immigration raids as it vaunts deportation numbers – The Guardian
The Home Office is launching a fresh wave of immigration raids for illegal working and boasting of record numbers of deportations as Labour attempts to counter the growing political threat from Reform UK. Ahead of the second reading of the new border security bill today, officials announced that both illegal working visits and arrests since Labour came to power had soared by about 38% compared with the previous 12 months.
For full report, click here
How many people cross the Channel in small boats and how many claim asylum? – BBC News UK
The government has announced measures to tackle people smuggling, including a new criminal offence of endangering the lives of others at sea. Almost 37,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2024.
For full report, click here
UK’s crackdown on illegal immigrant workers hits Indian restaurants – Hindustan Times
The crackdown in the UK against illegal immigrants has extended to Indian restaurants, nail bars, convenience stores and car washes which employ such individuals. The Home Office described the action as a UK-wide blitz on illegal working in the country. Secretary Yvette Cooper said her department’s Immigration Enforcement teams raided 828 premises in January, a 48% increase year-on-year. 609 people were arrested, marking a 73 per cent increase from the previous year, reported PTI.
For full report, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: UK: tuberculosis test clinics has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Priority treatment requests: casework has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Visa processing times: applications outside the UK has been updated on 12th February 2025. To View the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Colombia: country policy and information notes has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Living in the UK: applying from within the UK has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Living in the UK: applying from overseas has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Landlord’s guide to right to rent checks has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Right to work checks: an employer’s guide has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 12th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: India Young Professionals Scheme visa: ballot system has been updated on 11th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme has been updated on 10th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Good character: caseworker has been updated on 10th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen has been updated on 10th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: EU Settlement Scheme: administrative review has been updated on 10th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) has been updated on 10th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Administrative review: caseworker has been updated on 07th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): residents of Ireland has been updated on 07th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Using the ‘UK ETA’ app has been updated 07th February 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Written by Shareen Khan – Legal Content Writer, HJT Training