Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 24 October 2025
This week saw key changes in UK immigration policy, including action against fraudulent practitioners, scrutiny of removal schemes, and new proposals to address skills shortages.
Regulatory and enforcement side of immigration practice continues to keep unscrupulous immigration advisers under their radar.
The Government has announced an expansion of enforcement powers targeting those operating outside the regulatory framework, with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) set to gain new capabilities to trace, freeze, and seize assets accumulated through illicit advice activities. This initiative follows documented cases where bogus advisers have extracted substantial sums from vulnerable clients, with individual operators reportedly accumulating over half a million pounds and organised groups amassing millions. Separately, the courts have demonstrated an increasingly intolerant approach to those seeking to circumvent established disciplinary findings.
In a significant judgement, a former immigration solicitor who was struck off in 2023 following a BBC undercover investigation into fraudulent visa advice, has been subjected to an extended civil restraint order. The practitioner had initiated nine judicial review applications challenging his professional sanctions, with the courts consistently finding them devoid of merit. The High Court issued a three-year restraint order and a £24,000 costs order to curb abuse of legal processes.
The efficacy of the Government’s flagship returns scheme continues to face scrutiny. Concurrent reporting suggests that whilst 26 individuals have been removed to France under the bilateral arrangement, at least one individual has already completed a secondary crossing and returned to UK waters, subsequently entering immigration detention. The returned individual alleges that conditions in France rendered their position untenable and that they encountered exploitation at the hands of trafficking networks operating in northern French territories. These developments raise persistent questions about the scheme’s capacity to deter future crossings or whether removals may simply represent temporary displacement rather than permanent prevention of irregular entry.
Underpinning such operational challenges are significant resourcing constraints. Testimony to Parliament this week revealed that only twelve Home Office personnel are directly dedicated to the returns scheme administration. Notwithstanding the broader allocation of over five thousand civil servants addressing small boat arrivals. The disparity between ambition and available capacity becomes yet more pronounced when considering French implementation delays, attributed to both bureaucratic obstacles and ongoing political instability in France.
Against this backdrop, a parallel policy initiative has emerged from within Labour ranks. Economic think tanks and over one hundred Labour Members of Parliament are advocating for a new immigration route centred on skills contribution. The proposed visa category would condition approval on migrants committing a proportion of their working week to training domestic counterparts in their specialism. Proponents contend that such an approach could simultaneously address acute sectoral skill shortages whilst improving public perceptions of immigration as a constructive mechanism rather than a competitor for domestic employment. Polling commissioned by advocates suggests material reduction in anti-immigration sentiment when the contributory model is presented to survey respondents.
The phased implementation of rule changes through early 2026 will inevitably generate UKVI refusals, many susceptible to Judicial Review challenge. HJT’s annual Judicial Review Conference on 28th November, featuring leading counsel including David Chirico KC, Stephanie Harrison KC, Priya Solanki, Timothy Baldwin, Mark Symes and David Jones, will examine 2025’s key developments and equip practitioners to identify and mount effective challenges. Our esteemed annual Conference is also an excellent opportunity to network with the KCs and peers from the immigration fraternity at the post-conference drinks reception and networking session. For bookings, visit here
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A flash course also scheduled at short notice… Join David Jones and Antonia Randall-Brandwood as they dissect the Statement of Changes HC1333 announced on 14 October. See more information here
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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
Government to seize millions from fake immigration ‘lawyers’ – UKVI News
Sham immigration lawyers who look to cheat the system will have their cash confiscated under new powers. Under proposals set out by the Home Office today, new powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be extended to the Immigration Advice Authority, enabling them to seize the criminal profits of unscrupulous advisers. For full report, click here
Deporting legally settled people is ‘broadly in line’ with Tory policy, says Badenoch’s office – The Guardian
The Conservative MP Katie Lam was “broadly in line” with party policy when she called for very large numbers of legally settled people to be deported from the UK, Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson has said. Setting out Tory plans to retrospectively strip the right of indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from people who claim benefits, the spokesperson said this would not be the case for people getting the state pension, but he was unable to say whether someone could be deported if they received statutory maternity pay or shared parental leave. For full report, click here
Man sent to France under ‘one in, one out’ scheme returns to UK on small boat – The Guardian
A man sent back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat, the Guardian has learned. The man, who wants to claim asylum in the UK, and has spoken to the Guardian since coming back, is being held in a UK immigration detention centre and claims to be a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in northern France. For full report, click here
Dublin police condemn ‘thuggery’ after protest outside hotel housing asylum seekers turns violent – The Guardian
Six people have been arrested after Irish police battled hundreds of protesters outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers after an alleged sexual assault on a young girl. The crowd burned a police vehicle and hurled fireworks and other missiles at officers outside the Citywest hotel on Tuesday night. For full report, click here
Kosovo offers to become first country to accept Britain’s refused asylum seekers – The Guardian
Kosovo has become the first country to indicate it will accept Britain’s refused asylum seekers as part of government plans to set up “return hubs” in third countries. Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, said he “wants to help the UK” and confirmed discussions were taking place with officials from the UK, the Times reports. For full report, click here
David Blunkett backs proposal for skilled migrants to train British workers – The Guardian
The former UK home and education secretary David Blunkett has backed calls for skilled migrants to train British workers in an effort to improve public feeling towards immigration. A report by the Good Growth Foundation, a thinktank with links to Labour ministers, has called for the creation of a visa route where skilled migrants spend part of their time mentoring and training British workers. For full report, click here
Tory MP criticised after demanding legally settled families be deported – The Guardian
A Conservative MP tipped as a future party leader has been condemned for saying large numbers of legally settled families must be deported, in order to ensure the UK is mostly “culturally coherent”. The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, has been urged to condemn the comments by Katie Lam, a Home Office shadow minister and a whip for the party. Lam was previously a special adviser to Boris Johnson and is often described as a rising star of the new intake. For full report, click here
‘I need to find my missing children and grandchildren’ – BBC News UK
The search for a family missing for over a year has been fuelled by an extraordinary friendship between an Omagh bomb victim and a Syrian refugee. Similar traumas have forged a bond between Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the 1998 Real IRA attack, and Emad Al Rawashdeh. For full report, click here
Home Office ‘detached from reality on immigration’, report by The Times UK
Shabana Mahmood has said the Home Office is “not yet fit for purpose” after a secret report found that it was dysfunctional, detached from reality and beset by a “culture of defeatism” on immigration.
The home secretary said the department had been “set up to fail” and that the findings of the report were all too familiar. She promised to radically overhaul its staff, structures and culture. For full report, click here
Only 12 Home Office staff at work on one in, one out returns deal – The Times
Britain’s border security commander has admitted that only 12 Home Office staff are working on the one in, one out returns deal and is frustrated with the French for delays in implementing tactics to intercept small boats. Martin Hewitt, the border security commander, said he was frustrated that French police were still not stopping small boats once they were in the Channel. For full report, click here
Former immigration lawyer made subject to extended civil restraint order – Law Gazette
A former solicitor struck off for advising an undercover BBC reporter how to make a fraudulent visa application has been subjected to an extended civil restraint order following his latest challenge to his ban. He was recorded covertly advising an undercover journalist on how to obtain fraudulent accountancy evidence for a spousal visa application. For full report, click here
Arrests after immigration raid at recycling depot – BBC News
Eight people have been arrested following an immigration raid at a recycling depot. The raid at the unnamed site in Somerset was carried out by about 10 officers acting on intelligence earlier. The agency supplying staff to the recycling depot could face fines up to £45,000 per worker if it is found to have employed them illegally. For full report, click here
Met recovers thousands of stolen items in UK’s largest ever crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs – Met Police News
Officers arrested 32 people and seized thousands of stolen items in the Metropolitan Police’s largest ever targeted crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs in London. The 32 people were arrested for various offences, including handling stolen goods, drug offences and immigration violations. Most of those arrested have been bailed. For full report, click here
Case Law
Onuzi v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 1337
The Court of Appeal upheld the deprivation of British citizenship for an applicant who obtained it through sustained fraud. Mr Onuzi falsely claimed asylum as a Kosovo Albanian whilst being Albanian and maintained this deception throughout twenty years of immigration applications. The court held that such deliberate concealment of material facts directly relevant to character assessment lawfully justifies deprivation of citizenship, particularly where there is an unbroken causal link between the fraud and the grant of naturalisation. For full decision, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Overview: Check your electronic travel authorisation (ETA) has been published on 22nd October 2025. To view the Overview, click here
Guidance: Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): privacy information notice has been updated on 22nd October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Digital device extraction policy: caseworker has been updated on 22nd October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 22nd October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 22nd October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Visa processing times: applications outside the UK has been updated on 22nd October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Policy paper: UK visa fees has been updated on 21st October 2025. To view the updated Policy paper, click here
Transparency data: Visa fees transparency data has been updated on 21st October 2025. To view the updated Transparency data, click here
Guidance: Travel documents – no time limit: caseworker has been updated on 21st October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Priority change of circumstances for sponsors has been updated on 21st October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme has been updated on 20th October 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 20th October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Residence documents: information for financial providers has been updated on 17th October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Collection: Archive: Immigration Rules has been updated on 17th October 2025. To view the updated Collection, click here
Guidance: Immigration Rules archive: 4 September 2025 to 13 October 2025 has been updated on 17th October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Transparency data: Country returns guide has been updated on 17th October 2025. To view the updated Transparency data, 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.
