Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 17 April 2025
The past week has seen significant developments in UK immigration policy and statistics, with several key stories emerging that will impact practitioners and their clients.
Channel crossings have reached a record high for the first four months of 2025, with Home Office figures revealing that 8,064 people have arrived so far this year. This represents a substantial increase compared to the same period in 2024 and 2023. In response to these figures, the Home Office has stated that the government has a “serious credible plan to finally restore order to our asylum system” and will “stop at nothing” to dismantle people-smuggling operations.
Diplomatic efforts to address the issue are intensifying, with reports that UK officials are in early talks with France about a potential returns agreement. The proposed scheme would involve both countries exchanging asylum seekers, with the UK returning those who cross the Channel irregularly in exchange for accepting a limited number of people with legitimate claims to be in Britain, particularly those with family reunification cases. Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood confirmed that discussions ongoing with the French government are taking place, though details remain limited.
On the domestic front, the Home Office has announced plans to remove hundreds of asylum seekers from nine hotels across England by July. This forms part of the government’s pledge to end asylum hotels. The affected establishments include the Manor hotel in Datchet, Berkshire, as well as hotels in the West Midlands and Cheshire that have previously been targeted by far-right activists. Asylum seekers will reportedly be moved to longer-term temporary accommodation, primarily flats or shared houses managed by the Home Office.
Reports have surfaced that thirteen other hotels have already been closed to asylum seekers since the beginning of 2025, describing the initiative as restoring the chaos of the current asylum system and implementing a sustainable exit plan in line with the current government’s commitment to end the use of eye-wateringly expensive asylum hotels.
The impact of stricter immigration rules introduced in early 2024 is becoming increasingly apparent, with new Home Office data showing a dramatic 37% drop in visa applications across major categories. In the year to March 2025, applications covering 772,200 individuals were submitted, compared to nearly 1.24 million in the preceding year.
The most significant decline has been in applications from foreign health and care workers and their families, which plummeted from 359,300 in 2023/24 to just 80,700 in 2024/25. This reflects the previous government’s ban on overseas care workers. Similarly, applications by family members of sponsored study visa holders fell by 83%, while applications from main student applicants saw a more modest 11% decrease.
Migration Observatory has noted that while the tightening of immigration rules has led to a sharp decline in applications, but it appears that many employers are simply paying workers more to meet the increased salary threshold of £38,700 for skilled workers. The report further concluded that despite these declines, applications from non-EU citizens remain well above pre-Brexit levels.
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For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, SEE BELOW
Immigration News
UK in talks with France about deal to swap people seeking asylum – The Guardian
The British and French governments are involved in early talks about a returns agreement that would involve both countries exchanging people seeking asylum. Officials have discussed a pilot scheme under which a small number of people who come across the Channel to the UK by irregular means would be sent back to France.
For full report, click here
UK riots led to deterioration in asylum seekers’ mental health, says report – The Guardian
Last summer’s riots, which took place after the murder of three girls at a Southport dance class, led to a deterioration in the mental health of asylum seekers, with many becoming fearful of walking down the street in case they were targeted by far-right protesters, according to a report.
For full report, click here
Ministers try to encourage Windrush compensation claims with £1.5m fund –The Guardian
A £1.5m fund has been launched to encourage people affected by the Windrush scandal to come forward to seek compensation, as ministers finally acknowledge that many victims have felt too nervous to engage with officials from the Home Office.
For full report, click here
Asylum seeker billed £10,000 for NHS maternity care ‘could only afford penny a month’ – The Guardian
A destitute asylum seeker who was billed more than £10,000 for having a baby could afford to pay just a penny a month, leading to calls for an urgent review of NHS maternity charging for migrants.
For full report, click here
Polish woman, 80, threatened with deportation can stay in UK – The Guardian
A Polish woman who had her application to remain in the UK rejected because she mistakenly filled in a form online instead of on paper has been granted permission to stay in Britain after a change of mind by the Home Office.
For full report, click here
Hundreds of asylum seekers to be removed from hotels in England – The Guardian
Hundreds of people seeking asylum are to be removed from nine hotels across England within weeks as the Home Office attempts to show it has got to grips with the issue. The crackdown will remove asylum seekers from a hotel in a village near Windsor Castle after claims of community tensions and racism, and hotels in the West Midlands and Cheshire that have been targeted by far-right activists.
For full report, click here
Record number of migrants cross Channel in 2025 so far – BBC News UK
The number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel has reached a new record for the first four months of the year. Some 656 people arrived in 11 small boats on Saturday, taking the total number of people crossing in 2025 so far to 8,064, according to provisional Home Office figures.
For full report, click here
UK visa applications plummet following strict rule change – Independent News
Applications for key UK visa routes have plummeted by more than a third in a year, according to new Home Office data. The figures reveal a significant drop in applications across major visa categories, including work, study, and family visas, likely reflecting the impact of stricter immigration rules introduced in early 2024.
For full report, click here
Case Law
Alnoor R On the Application Of v Secretary of State for the Home Department 2025 EWHC 922 Admin
The High Court quashed an Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority’s Negative Reasonable Grounds decision in a human trafficking case, finding four demonstrable flaws in the reasoning process. Despite the claimant having received refugee status, the court held the claim was not “academic” as victim recognition could still provide support benefits. The decision-maker failed to properly evaluate trafficking indicators, did not explain what “further detail” was reasonably expected, inadequately assessed whether supporting evidence could reasonably be expected, and made questionable assertions about when the trafficking claim was raised. The case affirms that “anxious scrutiny” is required in trafficking cases, and at the reasonable grounds stage, decision-makers must properly consider all factors favouring the potential victim rather than weighing evidence, which is reserved for the conclusive grounds stage.
For full decision, click here
R (CPH) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 848 (Admin)
In a significant ruling, the High Court determined that the Home Office’s guidance on discretionary grants of indefinite leave to remain for children is unlawful. The Home Secretary conceded having discretion to grant indefinite leave outside the Immigration Rules without a fee being paid, but the court found the policy guidance unlawful because it required “particularly exceptional or compelling reasons” – a test more stringent than the section 55 duty to consider a child’s best interests as a primary consideration. The decision was quashed, with the court noting that indefinite leave is generally more likely to serve a child’s best interests than limited leave. The Home Secretary has sought permission to appeal.
For full decision, click here
R (Islam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 458
The Court of Appeal dismissed Mr Islam’s appeal challenging the Home Office’s rejection of his skilled worker visa application as invalid. The appellant, a Bangladeshi student who applied three days after a rule change that prevented students from switching visas mid-course, argued that the word “may” in Immigration Rule SW 1.6 created a discretion the Secretary of State was obliged to exercise. All three judges rejected this interpretation, ruling that “may” in this context simply entitled the decision maker to reject invalid applications without further consideration, not creating an obligation to consider waiving mandatory requirements for every invalid application. The court concluded that the rule functioned as a procedural filter to extract invalid applications from the system, ensuring administrative efficiency while maintaining fairness to applicants who meet the validity requirements.
For full decision, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Form: Resolve a dispute with the Home Office through the pre-action protocol has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Form, click here
Form: Application to register as British citizen: form EM has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Form, click here
Guidance: PBS sponsor licensing – certificates: caseworker has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Partners, divorce and dissolution: caseworker has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Permitting access to public funds has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Nationality forms guide has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Registration as British if your mother had connection to a British Overseas Territory has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Form: Application to register child under 18 as British Overseas citizen has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Form S has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Form UKF has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 16th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Family: customer service standards has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Form: Application to register as British overseas territories citizen has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Offender management: caseworker has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Form B(OTA) has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Terms and conditions for booking and taking the Life in the UK Test has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Form AN has been updated on 15th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Document checks and charges for carriers has been updated on 14th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Concession for temporary employment as sheep shearers: WRK2.6 has been updated on 14th April 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 14th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Pakistan: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 11th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Collection: eVisa support videos has been updated on 11th April 2025. To view the updated Collection, click here
Guidance: Lapsing leave and returning residents: caseworker has been updated on 11th April 2025. To view the update Guidance, click here
Guidance: Dependent family members in work routes has been updated on 11th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Promotional material: Create, link and access your eVisa with a passport using the ID Check app: video has been published on 11th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Illegal working penalties: UK report has been updated on 11th April 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Written by Shareen Khan – Legal Content Writer, HJT Training
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Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration advisors should consult the full decisions and official policy documents when advising clients on specific cases.
