Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 27 September 2024
The highlight of this week in Immigration news, has been Sir Keir Starmer’s robust stance on immigration at the Labour Party conference. This has set the tone for what promises to be a transformative period in UK policy.
In his Labour Party conference speech, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer outlined plans to tighten UK immigration policies. He announced that businesses violating work visa rules would be barred from hiring foreign workers. The government aims to align visa policies with skills and market needs, reducing reliance on foreign labour and encouraging investment in training for young Britons. Starmer promised to “get tough” on migration, emphasising the need to decrease net migration and economic dependency on it. The Migration Advisory Committee will be tasked with identifying sectors where labour market failures have led to increased overseas recruitment and will provide annual assessments to ministers. These measures are part of Starmer’s broader vision to create “a Britain built to last”, balancing short-term challenges with long-term national renewal.
In recent weeks, the UK government has intensified its efforts to address the issue of illegal immigration, with a particular focus on channel crossings and overstayers. The number of migrants arriving in the UK via small boats crossing has prompted renewed pledges from officials to ‘smash the gangs’ responsible for facilitating these dangerous journeys.
The Home Office has responded with a series of coordinated operations across the country. In Northern Ireland, a three-day operation targeting organised crime groups exploiting the Common Travel Area resulted in fourteen arrests at Belfast’s airports and docks.
Simultaneously, new measures have been announced to reduce historically high levels of net migration. The Home Secretary’s approach aims to address the root causes of the UK’s long-term reliance on international recruitment. Sectors heavily dependent on overseas workers will be targeted to encourage investment in domestic skills and reduce the need for foreign labour.
While the government maintains a strict stance on illegal migration, recent events have highlighted the complexities of individual cases. For e.g., a Polish man who lived in the UK since childhood, faced deportation despite having completed his education in Britain and being employed in a UK company. His last-minute reprieve came after providing extensive documentation of his long-term residency, illustrating the challenges faced by some long-term residents in proving their right to remain.
It’s worth noting that while flights to Rwanda have been halted, the removal of migrants to their countries of origin continues. Deportations and removals are on the rise and are expected to increase further as the government maintains its hardline approach to illegal immigration.
These developments underscore the need for immigration advisors to be more vigilant and prepared than ever. The evolving landscape of UK immigration policy, coupled with intensified enforcement actions, requires a thorough understanding of current regulations and a proactive approach to assisting clients in navigating these complex waters. As witnessed through Immigration news, the UK’s immigration sector continues to evolve, presenting ongoing challenges and debates for policymakers, legal professionals, and those navigating the system.
In such a fast paced and dynamic environment, staying informed and up-to-date is more crucial than ever for legal professionals working in immigration law. This is where a subscription to Mastering Immigration Law proves invaluable. By providing the most current information and detailed explanations of rules, it adds significant value to everyday casework. Moreover, subscribers gain access to generous discounts on live online courses, ensuring continuous professional development (CPD) in this ever-evolving field. For more information or to subscribe, visit here.
The Post Office scandal in the UK has sparked a profound reassessment of how electronic signatures and digital evidence are viewed in legal proceedings. This affair has exposed the potential fallibility of electronic records, prompting legal practitioners to exercise greater caution when relying on such evidence. Solicitors and barristers are now expected to be more thorough in verifying and authenticating electronic signatures and digital evidence, particularly if challenged in court.
Moreover, there’s a growing recognition that the judiciary may apply more rigorous scrutiny to computer-generated evidence, rather than presuming its reliability as was often the case previously.
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For the full list of updates on Immigration news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, see below
Immigration News
Visa rule breakers to be banned from hiring foreign workers under strict new migration plan, vows PM
Businesses that break work visa rules will be banned from hiring employees from abroad under a new immigration plan, the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday.
Sir Keir Starmer told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that his government will reduce migration and Britain’s dependency on foreign workers.
Full report, click here – Full PM Speech, here
Post Office IT system still causing cash shortfalls – BBC News
Almost seven in 10 Post Office sub-postmasters have experienced an “unexplained discrepancy” on the Horizon IT system since January 2020, a survey has revealed. It suggests faults remain in newer versions of the accountancy system still used by the Post Office, which has been at the heart of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
For full report, click here
New measures set out to reduce net migration – UKVI NEWS
New measures to cut historically high levels of net migration have been announced today, bolstering the Home Secretary’s approach to tackle the root causes behind the UK’s long-term reliance on international recruitment. Sectors most reliant on overseas workers will be targeted to ensure they are addressing their failure to invest in skills here in the UK.
For full report, click here
Germany and France call for Europe-wide deal with UK on migration – The Guardian
Germany and France have called for a Europe-wide deal on migration and asylum with the UK government, to capitalise on Labour’s more “constructive” approach to EU-UK relations. In a letter to the EU home affairs commissioner, the German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, and her former French counterpart, Gérald Darmanin, said Brexit had gravely affected “the coherence of migration policies”.
For full report, click here
Teenage asylum seekers arriving after start of school year in ‘no man’s land’, report says – The Guardian
Teenage asylum seekers are seen as too old to be easily integrated into mainstream schooling and too young for further education, leaving many stuck in a limbo that leaves them vulnerable to isolation, mental health deterioration and exploitation, according to research conducted by the charity Refugee Education UK (REUK) and funded by the Bell Foundation, an education charity.
For full report, click here
Polish man living in UK since childhood granted 11th-hour deportation reprieve – The Guardian
A Polish man who has lived in the UK since he was seven has been granted a last-minute reprieve after facing deportation because officials said he had not provided enough proof of living in the country for the last 20 years. Officials were planning for removal despite the fact he completed primary and secondary education in Britain as well as a college course in travel and tourism. He pays tax in the UK and works for a transport company completing customs documents for goods exported from Britain to EU countries. He provided the Home Office with years of school records and bank statements to prove his long residency.
For full report, click here
Why UK can’t just return migrants to France, as Reform says – BBC News UK
Ahead of the start of the party’s conference, Reform UK’s MPs have been repeating their claim that migrants who are intercepted while crossing the English Channel can just be taken back to France. It’s part of the party’s four point plan to “stop the boats”. Both the party’s leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice have claimed that the UK is legally entitled to do this.
For full report, click here
Fourteen NI immigration arrests made in three days – BBC News UK
Fourteen people were arrested at Belfast’s two airports and the docks over a three-day period by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement. It was part of a UK-wide operation targeting organised crime groups using the Common Travel Area (CTA).
For full report, click here
Cross-Channel migrant crossings top 25,000 as UK government vows to ‘smash the gangs’ – RFI NEWS
The number of migrants arriving in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats has topped 25,000 since the start of the year.
For full report, click here
EU moots watering down plans to agree UK youth mobility scheme – The Pie News
Negotiators in Brussels have said that they are seeking to make an EU-UK youth mobility scheme more palatable to the UK, amid political pressure on the Prime Minister to cut net migration.
For full report, click here
Case Law
Adegboyega v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 2365 (KB)
The decision in this case provides significant guidance on damages for unlawful detention and human rights breaches in immigration detention cases. The ruling granted a substantial £203,995 to a Brook House victim, including £35,000 for 88 days’ unlawful detention with minimal tapering, £15,000 in aggravated and £25,000 in exemplary damages. It acknowledged Article 3 breaches, awarding £26,000 for poor conditions, despite Home Office objections. The judgement meticulously differentiated between various harms to prevent double counting.
This decision affirms detainees’ accounts from the Brook House Inquiry and establishes a precedent for future cases concerning unlawful detention and human rights violations in immigration detention settings.
For full report, click here
Home Office Guidance and Policy Document Updates
Guidance: Lapsing leave and returning residents: caseworker has been updated on 26th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Travel documents – no time limit caseworker has been updated on 26th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: India: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 25th September 2024.To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Cases involving pending prosecution caseworker has been updated on 25th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors workers has been updated on 25th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors students has been updated on 25th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Changes to the commercial partner visa application services has been updated on 25th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) have been updated on 23rd September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Right to work checks an employer’s has been updated on 23rd September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Landlord’s guide to right to rent checks has been updated on 23rd September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Uganda tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 20th September 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Written by Shareen Khan
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