Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 24 January 2025
The Home Office Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025 proposing significant fee increases across immigration services makes it to the top trending news this week. Key changes include; worker sponsorship fees rising from £239 to £525, ETA fees increasing from £15 to £16, and naturalisation costs climbing from £1,500 to £1,605. The government expects these changes to generate substantial additional revenue, with £111 million from sponsorship fees and £140 million from ETA fees in 2025/26. Additionally, a temporary exemption from ETA fees has been introduced for airside transit passengers at Heathrow and Manchester airports.
Procedural changes extend with the Home Office announcement to introduce an automated process to convert eligible EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) pre-settled status holders to settled status. This is expected to commence late January 2025. The system will automatically assess eligibility through government records, checking continuous UK residence and conducting criminal background checks. Pre-settled status holders approaching expiry will be notified by email, with no action required from them. While the process will expand throughout 2025, individuals can still apply independently for settled status when eligible. These changes implement the High Court judgment from the IMA judicial review and aim to streamline the process for the 5.7 million EEA and Swiss citizens currently under the scheme.
A positive for the tech sector and overseas tech specialists, Rachel Reeves announced that the UK will publish an immigration white paper reviewing visas to attract high-skilled workers in AI and science. Despite existing skilled visa pathways that saw 50,900 applications between April-December 2023, the government plans to consult businesses on system improvements and deploy diplomats to promote UK opportunities.
However, owing to the current climate on the rise of sponsor licence revocations and its impact on sponsor workers, the Westminster Hall debate this week highlighted significant concerns about the current sponsorship system in health and social care. MPs discussed how the genuine vacancy test is being strengthened, with UKVI now requiring employers to prove sufficient work hours and appropriate salary levels before sponsorship approval.
The debate revealed widespread exploitation through unethical practices, including sponsors passing on licence costs to workers (now banned), inadequate working hours, and poor employment conditions. The Government acknowledged these issues and outlined measures including regional support hubs with £16 million funding to assist displaced workers, direct Home Office notifications about licence revocations, and plans to ban employers who breach employment laws from using the sponsorship system. Labour MPs argued these measures were insufficient, citing that only 5% of workers find new sponsors within the 60-day grace period, demonstrating systemic failures in the current employer-tied sponsorship model.
Last year we witnessed a staggering increase in sponsor licence revocations and heavy penalties imposed on sponsor employers. As part of the government’s five-point plan to curb illegal migration, the Home Office conducted audits with the strictest scrutiny to identity illegal workers. The Labour government intends to maintain this approach which is reflected by the way of very first of Compliance Casework Guidance published on 22nd January 2025.
The guidance outlines various compliance check methods, including pre and post-licence visits, digital checks, and inter-departmental verifications. The document clarifies UKVI’s enforcement powers, which include licence downgrades, suspensions, or revocations when sponsors fail to meet their duties. This publication follows increased scrutiny and enforcement actions in 2024, highlighting the government’s commitment to preventing sponsorship system abuse.
Meanwhile, we also see the same scrutiny being applied when it comes to illegal working by the higher courts. The Court of Appeal’s ruling in Tammina & Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department[2025] EWCA Civ 24 demonstrates a rigorous stance on sponsor licence compliance in the UK immigration system. Analysing Tammina’s case reveals that sponsorship is viewed strictly as a privilege, not a right, with sponsors bearing significant responsibility for maintaining proper compliance.
The judgement particularly emphasises that migrant workers, upon becoming aware of any licence issues, have an active duty to monitor their sponsor’s status. This sets a notable precedent regarding migrants’ responsibilities – they cannot remain passive about their sponsorship arrangements, especially when alerted to compliance concerns. The Court’s approach aligns with the Home Office’s stringent compliance framework of pre-licence assessments, post-licence monitoring and digital verification, reinforcing the system’s emphasis on maintaining immigration control.
The UKVI’s December 2024 update to the long residence rule introduces key changes to continuous residence requirements overall implying stricter standards on the periods of absence for both 10 year and 20-year route. These changes aim to enhance transparency and consistency across the UK immigration system, but they may also introduce new challenges for some applicants, particularly those who have recently switched immigration categories or have had significant absences from the UK.
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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 to review visas to entice more AI and science workers, says Reeves – The Guardian
The UK government will publish an immigration white paper later this year including a review of visas to entice more high-skilled workers as part of its push to kickstart growth, Rachel Reeves has announced. The chancellor told a breakfast event at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “We are going to look again at routes for the highest skilled people, visas particularly in the areas of AI and life sciences.”
For full report, click here
Calls for Home Office to protect asylum seekers after accommodation violence – The Guardian
NGOs are calling for improvements in UK government safeguarding policies after multiple acts of violence and race hate incidents in Home Office accommodation. The incidents include 20 assaults of asylum seekers in one small area of Essex and a separate incident where another was attacked and threatened with a knife by a man recently released into shared asylum accommodation from prison on licence. Slices of bacon were also laid over food belonging to Muslim residents stored in a communal kitchen fridge.
For full report, click here
Revealed: Conservatives spent £134m on never-used IT systems for failed Rwanda scheme – The Guardian
The Conservative government spent more than £130m on IT and data systems for the scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which will never be used, the Observer can reveal. Digital tools needed to put the forced removal programme into effect made up the second-largest chunk of the £715m spent in little over two years, behind only the £290m handed directly to Paul Kagame’s government.
For Full report, click here
Home Office accused of ‘blocking’ people stuck in war zones from joining family in UK – The Guardian
The UK government’s family reunification policy has been criticised by charities and MPs after data revealed how Home Office bureaucracy was making it impossible for people stranded in war zones, such as Gaza and Sudan, to reunite with family members in the UK. Existing policy is supposed to allow those in need of resettlement the opportunity to join relatives in the UK. In order to apply for family reunion visas, applicants must submit biometrics – usually a fingerprint and a photograph – at appointments at a visa application centre (VAC) in their country of residence
For full report, click here
Home Office upgrades inquiry into Kent immigration centre after legal challenge – The Guardian
Asylum seekers will receive funded legal representation at an inquiry into a catalogue of failures at a centre in Kent where small boat arrivals are processed, after a legal challenge by detainees. Manston, a short-term holding facility outside Ramsgate, was established in January 2022 to deal with the increasing numbers of asylum seekers crossing the Channel to the UK in dinghies.
For full report, click here
Nazi-obsessed terrorist given life sentence for Worcestershire attack on asylum seeker – The Guardian
A Nazi-obsessed terrorist who tried to stab an asylum seeker to death in a protest over Channel crossings has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years and eight months. Callum Parslow repeatedly stabbed Nahom Hagos, 25, in the attack at a hotel previously used to house asylum seekers in Worcestershire on 2 April last year. Parslow, who has Adolf Hitler’s signature tattooed on his left arm, said he was “exterminating the invasive species” in a “terrorist manifesto” found on his phone after the attack.
For full report, click here
UK govt proposes immigration fee hike – Will Indian job seekers be impacted? – Mint News
The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has announced proposals to hike certain immigration fees, including the cost to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS), among others. This move could affect Indians aspiring to work in the UK. The cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship is a fee that employers pay for sponsoring foreign nationals under the Skilled Worker Route
For full report, click here
Case Law
Tammina & Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 24.
The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal challenging the procedural fairness of a visa refusal. The case distinguished itself from R (Pathan) [2020] UKSC 41, as the appellant was already aware of issues with his employer’s sponsor license before its revocation.
Unlike Pathan, where lack of notification about license revocation was deemed unfair, here the appellant knew about the license suspension and could have inquired about its status. While the Court rejected allegations of the appellant’s “complicity” in the license revocation as insufficiently substantiated, it maintained that Pathan doesn’t establish an automatic right to notification of sponsor license revocation – each case requires specific consideration of circumstances.
For full decision, click here
Chaudhry v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 16
The Court of Appeal clarified the test for citizenship deprivation appeals under section 40(3) of the British Nationality Act 1981. The court established a four-part test: (1) the First-tier Tribunal must determine as fact whether fraud/false representation occurred, (2) the Home Secretary’s decision on whether citizenship was obtained through these means is reviewable only on public law grounds, (3) the Secretary’s discretion to deprive citizenship is likewise reviewable only on public law grounds, and (4) the Tribunal must consider if the Secretary breached other legal obligations, including human rights. This ruling limits appellants’ scope for challenging deprivation decisions while clarifying the respective roles of the Tribunal and Secretary of State.
For full decision, click here
R (Jasseh) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 47 (Admin).
The High Court addressed improper private correspondence from the Government Legal Department regarding charter flight removals. The court ruled that once proceedings are initiated, withholding flight departure times from claimants must be justified by “compelling reasons” under CPR 39.8(3), and any private communications to the court must meet specific requirements, including explaining why information wasn’t shared with other parties and confirming compliance with the duty of candour. The ruling establishes stricter protocols for the GLD’s correspondence practices and warns of potential sanctions for non-compliance.
For full decision, click here
Independent Reports
Policy paper: EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status automation
The Home Office announced plans to automate the conversion of pre-settled to settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Starting later this month, eligible pre-settled status holders will receive email notifications as their status nears expiry, with the system to be expanded throughout 2025. This streamlined process eliminates the need for a separate application, though the Home Office is still considering how to handle cases where individuals no longer meet eligibility requirements.
For full brief, click here
Hike in Immigration visa fees
The Home Office has announced forthcoming increases to various immigration and nationality fees as part of its strategy to reduce taxpayer subsidisation of the migration system. These increases will affect costs across multiple categories including worker sponsorship, naturalisation applications, and the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, marking a significant shift in the funding model for immigration services.
To view the Explanatory Memorandum, click here
Certificate of Common Sponsorship – Volume 760: debated on Wednesday 22 January 2025
The Westminster Hall debate revealed widespread concerns about exploitation in the health and social care sponsorship system. While the Government outlined new safeguards, including strengthened vacancy tests and regional support hubs with £16M funding, Labour MPs argued these measures were inadequate, noting that 95% of workers fail to find new sponsors within the 60-day grace period after losing sponsorship, highlighting fundamental flaws in the employer-tied visa system.
To view the Hansard debate, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: Information booklet for asylum applications has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Haiti: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Compliance casework has been published on 22nd January 2025. To view the Guidance, click here
Guidance: Coronavirus (COVID-19): student sponsors, migrants and short-term students has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Processing children’s asylum claims: caseworker has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 22nd January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Ask the Home Office to check your immigration status is correct has been updated on 21st January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Albania: country policy and information notes has been updated on 21st January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) has been updated on 20th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Iraq: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 20th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Ethiopia: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 20th January 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Overview: Check if you can become a British citizen has been uploaded. To view the overview, click here.
Guidance: Colombia: country policy and information notes has been uploaded. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Written by Shareen Khan
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