Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 30 August 2024
This has been the most interesting week for UK immigration, where we’ve witnessed Labour’s plans to curb migration unfold with remarkable intensity.
The Home Office has ramped up its efforts to combat illegal working, with Immigration Enforcement teams conducting an intensive week of action. Over 275 premises were targeted, resulting in 135 businesses receiving notices for employing illegal workers and 85 individuals being detained. This operation, which focused particularly on car washes, underscores the government’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws in the workplace.
The arena for international students appears to be shifting as well. Recent Home Office statistics reveal that the UK has seen a 13% decrease in the grant of student visas from the previous year. This decline follows the implementation of tighter visa regulations announced in May 2025, including increased financial maintenance requirements and stricter admission criteria for institutions recruiting foreign students.
The asylum system continues to face scrutiny, with reports highlighting concerns about safety in immigration removal centres and budget management. A report on the Gatwick immigration removal centre indicates that safety has deteriorated, and violence has increased, with failings identified in a public inquiry almost a year ago still not addressed.
The Home Office has reported that over 20,000 individuals have crossed the English Channel in small boats thus far in 2024, marking a 3% increase from the same period last year. Wednesday alone saw 614 people brought ashore in Dover, pushing the annual count to 20,433. The government has expressed concern and asserted that measures are being implemented to enhance border security.
The UKVI is also seeking to accelerate the return of migrants to 11 countries, including Iraq, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. The government has posted a contract opportunity worth £15 million over three years for a commercial partner to support the “reintegration” of people returning from Britain to their home countries. This move aligns with the broader goal of reducing the number of individuals residing in the UK without the right to work or study.
British ports are set to receive £10.5 million in state support to prepare for increased border checks this autumn when the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) comes into effect. This system will require all travellers to the EU to provide biometric information, necessitating significant infrastructure investments at ports.
On a positive note, for international travellers, UKVI has launched its Super Priority Visa service in Hong Kong. This optional, paid-for service promises faster decision-making on visa applications, with most customers receiving a response by the end of the next working day. This expansion of premium services could potentially streamline the visa process for many applicants.
Against this backdrop, Sir Keir Starmer has indicated a desire for closer ties with the EU, on a new co-operation agreement signal Labour’s intention to forge stronger European partnerships, potentially impacting future immigration policies.
However, Labour’s approach to immigration remains cautious. The party has not committed to a youth mobility scheme, a priority for some EU countries, which could give young people in the EU and UK the right to live and work in each other’s territories. This stance reflects the delicate balance Labour is trying to strike between improving EU relations and addressing domestic concerns about immigration levels.
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As the UKVI ramps up its efforts to return migrants to their home countries, with substantial funding allocated for resettlement, removals and deportations are expected to rise.
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For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, see below.
UK Immigration News
Hundreds of rogue employers targeted in illegal working crackdown – Home Office
During an intensive week of action from Sunday 18 to Saturday 24 August, Immigration Enforcement teams carried out targeted visits to rogue businesses suspected of employing illegal workers, with a particular focus on car washes.
Over the course of the operation, more than 275 premises were targeted, with 135 receiving notices for employing illegal workers. In addition, 85 illegal workers have been detained.
For full report, click here
UK aims to boost migrant returns with new ‘support’ deals – Financial Times
The UK is seeking to accelerate returns of migrants to 11 countries including Iraq, Ethiopia and Vietnam in a bid to reduce the number of people residing in the country without the right to work or study. The government has posted a contract opportunity worth £15mn over three years for a commercial partner to support the “reintegration” of people returning from Britain to their home countries. The Home Office intends to deliver the support in Albania, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe, according to official documents.
For full report, click here
Small boat arrivals top 20,000 for year so far – BBC News
The number of people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats has passed 20,000 for the year so far. The Home Office said 614 people were brought ashore in Dover on Wednesday, bringing the annual total for 2024 to 20,433.
The figure is up 3% on this time last year, but down 18% on 2022.
The government said the crossings are “undermining border security and putting lives at risk.” The Home Office said the Government is “taking steps to boost border security”.
For full report, click here
UKVI launches Super Priority Visa (SPV) service in Hong Kong – Home Office
A Super Priority Visa (SPV) is an optional, paid-for service that customers in select locations around the world can purchase, in addition to the visa fee, to receive a faster decision on their visa application. This is the first time customers in Hong Kong will be able to take advantage of the optional service.
Customers who choose SPV will usually receive a decision on their UK visa application by the end of the next working day if your appointment is on a weekday. It could take 2 working days after your appointment if your appointment is at the weekend or on a bank holiday.
For full report, click here
UK Granted Over 432,000 Sponsored Study Visas in 12 Months – Visa Guide
The United Kingdom granted 432,225 sponsored study visas to main applicants in the year ending June 2024, as the latest Home Office statistics revealed.
This represents a 13 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2023, when the number of study visas issued stood at 498,068, Visa Guide. World reports.
The drop in study visas follows tightened visa regulations that the UK government announced in May 2025.
Some of the measures announced back then include increasing financial maintenance requirements, reviewing English language assessments, and introducing stricter admission criteria for institutions recruiting foreign students.
For full report, click here
Gatwick immigration removal centre getting less safe for detainees – The Guardian
Safety has deteriorated and violence has increased at one of the UK’s largest immigration detention centres, with failings that were identified in a public inquiry almost a year ago still not addressed, according to a report.
The findings are published in the annual report by the independent monitoring board for the Gatwick immigration removal centre.
For full report, click here
Home Office criticised over ‘woefully’ understated Tory asylum budgets – The Guardian
The Home Office has been accused of submitting “woeful” budget figures under successive Conservative ministers – which officials knew understated the ballooning cost of asylum and illegal immigration spending.
In a report partially vindicating Rachel Reeves’s claim that the new Labour government inherited a far worse financial situation than initially thought, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank suggested the Home Office had repeatedly lowballed its budget estimates.
For full report, click here
UK ports given £10.5m to prepare for EU biometric checks – The Guardian
British ports will be given £10.5m in state support to prepare for increased border checks this autumn, when the EU’s much-delayed entry-exit system (EES) comes into effect.
All travellers to the EU will be forced to provide biometric information when EES is launched, including facial recognition and fingerprints. Under the EU rules, the data initially must be collected and verified by EU border officials, meaning the ports have had to devise ways of reducing the processing time and spend millions on infrastructure.
For full report, click here
Urgent protections needed for asylum seekers in hotels, say refugee groups – The Guardian
More than 50 refugee organisations have written to the home secretary calling for urgent protections to be put in place for asylum seekers living in hotels who may be at risk from further far-right attacks.
Several asylum seeker hotels were targeted by violent mobs, including those in Hull and Tamworth, earlier this month. A Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham was the site of a particularly violent and sustained attack, during which fires were started and parts of the building trashed.
For full report, click here
NHS nurses from overseas ‘pushed into poverty’ by UK welfare rules – The Guardian
NHS nurses from overseas are being “pushed into poverty” because of rules that deprive many people coming to work in the UK of welfare benefits for five years after they arrive.
They are being forced to borrow money, run up credit card debts and go without food because they are unable to make ends meet, according to a report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The nurses are on temporary visas, which means they are subject to the “no recourse to public funds” rule that bars them from claiming child benefit, housing benefit and universal credit for at least five years before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain.
For full report, click here
Starmer seeks new EU deal on immigrants and trade – Daily Business
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he wants closer ties with the EU and hopes a new partnership with Germany will boost trade, create jobs and deliver economic growth.
The Prime Minister was in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a new co-operation agreement between the two countries.
However, he said there will be no attempt to re-enter the single market or customs union and the UK had no plans for a youth mobility scheme, a priority for the Germans, which could give young people in the EU and UK the right to live and work in all their territories.
For full report, click here
Restaurant’s licence removed over illegal workers The Home Office visited – BBC News
The Home Office had visited Kaaizan’s in Cambridgeshire, and found three men working illegally, who were subsequently arrested.
In a statement to the committee, Det Sgt Chris court said the men were living and working at the restaurant and had no contracts of employment, which he described as a modern slavery “red flag”. The licensing committee decided to suspend the licence for three months, which is the maximum length of time it could order.
For full report, click here
Case Law The Commissioner v The King (on the application of VT & Ors) (No. 3) [2024] BIOT CA (Civ) 3
The British Indian Ocean Territory Court of Appeal dismissed the Commissioner’s appeal against an extended bail order for asylum seekers on Diego Garcia. The court upheld the lower court’s decision, finding that the judge had properly considered US security concerns and the impact on UK-US relations, whilst balancing these against other factors. Despite calls from all parties for the migrants’ urgent removal, the court expressed serious concern for their welfare, particularly the children, though it refrained from proposing solutions.
For full decision, click here
Home Office Guidance and Policy Document Updates
Collection: Migration transparency data has been updated on 29th August 2024. To view the latest data, click here
Transparency data: Ukraine Visa Schemes has been updated on 29th August 2024. To view the latest data, click here
El Salvador: country policy and information notes has been updated on 28th August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors – workers has been updated on 28th August 2024. To view the latest data, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors- Student has been updated on 28th August 2024. To view the latest data, click here
Iraq: country policy and information notes has been updated on 28th August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Sudan: country policy and information notes has been updated on 23rd August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Nigeria: country policy and information notes has been updated on 23rd August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Honduras: country policy and information notes has been updated on 23rd August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Ghana: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 23rd August 2024. To view the latest report, click here
Written by Shareen Khan
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