Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 17 January 2025
We end this week with the breaking news for all aspiring and current OISC Advisors.
As of 16th January 2025, the OISC has rebranded and shall now be known as Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). This rebrand comes with the appointment of Heather Laing as Chief Executive Officer, who joins the organisation on secondment from her role as Director of Strategic Operations at the Home Office’s Illegal Migration Operations Command Centre.
As part of this modernisation, the IAA has introduced a new visual identity, including an updated logo and refreshed social media presence, which current OISC advisers will need to incorporate into their practices.
The restructure signals a deliberate shift towards becoming a more dynamic, outward-focused regulatory body, whilst maintaining its fundamental mission of safeguarding vulnerable individuals from unregulated immigration advisers.
Despite these structural changes and the new branding, the organisation’s core purpose remains steadfast: to ensure the provision of high-quality immigration advice throughout the United Kingdom and to protect those seeking such services. To contact IAA for further details, visit here
In a series of significant developments in the UK immigration, the government has announced sweeping measures to tackle illegal migration whilst ensuring proper oversight of visa services.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled groundbreaking sanctions targeting smuggling networks, marking a decisive shift in the government’s approach to illegal migration. The new strategy, which mirrors counter-terrorism tactics, will enable authorities to freeze smugglers’ bank accounts and impose travel bans. These measures, although still being finalised, will extend to both individuals and companies involved in facilitating illegal entry, including manufacturers of small boat crossing materials. UK-based financial institutions will be legally prohibited from engaging with sanctioned entities, though enforcement may face challenges due to smugglers’ preference for cash-based transactions.
In related developments, the Department for Education has implemented stricter controls over not-for-profit contractors following revelations of “serious failings” in visa services. Susan Acland-Hood, the Department’s permanent secretary, informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that a thorough review had been conducted, focusing particularly on Ecctis Ltd, a company responsible for language testing and qualification recognition for visa applicants. The review addresses concerns about the company’s profit management under a 2014 contract.
The government’s commitment to enforcement was further demonstrated in a recent case in Lincolnshire, where Mohamed Hamza, owner of M&H Car Wash, received a five-year directorship ban for employing illegal workers from Syria and Egypt. The business incurred a £20,000 fine following an immigration enforcement visit in 2022. Border Security and Asylum Minister Dame Angela Eagle emphasised that this case serves as a warning to those attempting to profit from illegal employment.
In a separate incident highlighting ongoing challenges, authorities recently discovered seven individuals concealed among cucumber containers in a lorry, who have since been transferred to immigration services.
Looking ahead, the Home Office has released updated visa processing times as of 10th January 2025, encompassing all entry clearance and in-country applications. This update covers Points Based System applications, family visas, asylum cases, and exceptional circumstances applications under the Rules.
Additionally, the government has published a comprehensive checklist for employers, emphasising mandatory requirements including DBS checks, wage compliance, and right-to-work verification procedures.
These developments mark the government’s dual focus on strengthening immigration enforcement while streamlining legitimate visa processes.
With the implementation of more stringent assessment standards, preparation for assessments have never been more important. Our IAA (formerly OISC) Level 3 course will provide practitioners with the robust knowledge and practical skills needed to handle sophisticated immigration cases confidently. This advanced accreditation has become particularly crucial for those seeking to expand their practice into complex immigration matters, offering a solid foundation in an evolving regulatory landscape.
To book your spot, visit here
For more information on our other live online courses, visit here
Additionally, all significant updates on Rules, Case Law and procedural changes are covered comprehensively in Mastering Immigration Law. The comprehensive resource ensures immigration advisors can meet the everyday challenges through effective interpretation of the legal resources to accelerate their case successes.
For enquiries and FREE DEMO, contact us enquiries@hjt-training.co.uk or call 075441 64692.
For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, see below
Immigration News
Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI – UKVI News
Artificial intelligence will be unleashed across the UK to deliver a decade of national renewal, under a new plan. In a marked move from the previous government’s approach, the Prime Minister is throwing the full weight of Whitehall behind this industry by agreeing to take forward all 50 recommendations set out by Matt Clifford in his game-changing AI Opportunities Action Plan.
For full report, click here
UK and Iraq boost cooperation on trade, growth and illegal migration – UKVI News
As part of the closer economic relationship being forged today, the Prime Minister and his counterpart will announce an up to £12.3 billion export package, worth around ten times last year’s trade between the UK and Iraq. This package is underpinned by a series of export agreements which will boost the growing trading relationship between the UK and Iraq, representing significant opportunities for UK businesses and contributing to the government’s mission to deliver economic growth.
For full report, click here
Councils ‘keen’ to help Home Office move asylum seekers out of hotels – The Guardian
Angela Rayner’s housing and communities’ department is in talks with the Home Office about the possibility of exercising a 2026 break clause in contracts with three private companies that provide hotels for those waiting for asylum claims to be processed.
For full report, click here
Crackdown on suppliers after firm made £13m on not-for-profit UK visa services – The Guardian
England’s most senior education official has assured MPs that suppliers on not-for-profit contracts will not in the future be able to make money secretly after “serious failings” were exposed.
Susan Acland-Hood, the Department for Education’s permanent secretary, told the cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) that a “very hard” review had been undertaken in light of the conduct of a company running UK visa services.
For full report, click here
Syrian man died trying to cross Channel to UK on leaky dinghy, say French authorities – The Guardian
A young Syrian man died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, the French authorities said.
It is the first reported death at sea of a migrant seeking to travel to Britain from France so far this year.
For full report, click here
Visa-waiver system could overwhelm UK immigration services, law firm warns – The Guardian
The UK Home Office’s already burdened immigration services could be overwhelmed this summer when a new visa-waiver system comes into force for European business travellers and tourists in April, a leading law firm has said.
There have also been fresh warnings that the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) requirements could threaten the post-peace tourism sector in Northern Ireland, with Americans and Europeans travelling to Dublin and beyond deciding not to bother crossing the border because of the red tape.
For full report, click here
Charity staff ‘harassed’ after Musk shares X post – BBC News UK
Staff at a refugee charity say colleagues have had “their lives threatened” after Elon Musk shared a post which suggested videos of girls were being used to “entice” migrants to the UK.
The Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) said staff and volunteers had been harassed online after a video, from 2023, was shared on the billionaire entrepreneur’s social media site, X.
For full report, click here
Car wash boss banned after hiring illegal workers – BBC News UK
The owner of a Lincolnshire car wash has been banned from running a company for five years after employing illegal workers.
Mohamed Hamza, 34, of Granville Road, Peterborough, hired the workers from Syria and Egypt to work at M&H Car Wash on Enterprise Way in Pinchbeck, near Spalding.
For full report, click here
New sanctions key to stopping smuggling gangs, insists PM – BBC News UK
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted new sanctions on smuggling networks are a “really important step” to stopping illegal migration into the UK. Sir Keir said using counter-terrorism tactics like freezing smugglers’ bank accounts will allow the UK to “break” their business model.
For full report, click here
Seven people found in lorry among cucumbers – BBC News UK
Seven people have been transferred to the immigration service after they were found in the back of a lorry wedged between containers of cucumbers. Police were called by a man who said he had been in the vehicle for 18 hours with five other men and a woman, all from Eritrea.
For full report, click here
Channel migrants: The real reason so many are fleeing Vietnam for the UK – BBC News UK
More Vietnamese attempted small-boat Channel crossings in the first half of 2024 than any other nationality. Yet they are coming from one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Why, then, are so many risking their lives to reach Britain?
For full report, click here
UK sees huge drop in visa applications after restrictions introduced – The Independent News
The number of people applying for visas to work and study in the UK fell by nearly 400,000 after restrictions were introduced in a bid to cut legal migration levels. Provisional Home Office figures show 547,000 applications were received between April and December 2024, down from 942,500 in the same period in 2023.
For full report, click here
GPS-tagged asylum seeker trial ended with no benefit, Home Office says – SKY News
A Home Office pilot scheme involving asylum seekers forced to wear ankle tags to track their locations “did not affect compliance” among them, a government report has concluded. The trial, launched on 15 June 2022 and concluding on 15 December 2023, involved around 1,200 asylum seekers split into two groups.
For full report, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 15th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 15th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Indefinite and further leave to remain: caseworker has been updated on 14th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Public funds: caseworker has been updated on 14th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Youth Mobility Scheme visa: ballot system has been updated 13th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: eVisa community support for vulnerable people has been updated on 13th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Pakistan: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 13th January 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 13th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Collection: Visa processing times has been updated on 10th January 2025. To view the updated Collection, click here
Guidance: Nigeria country policy and information has been updated on 10th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Overview: Employing staff for the first time has been uploaded. To view click here
Written by Shareen Khan
STAY TUNED FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS NEXT WEEK!
