Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 7 November 2025
UK has reported a significant development in its immigration statistics, recording the largest proportional increase in asylum claims among European nations in 2024. According to data released this week, more than 108,000 individuals submitted asylum applications during the year, reflecting a 28 per cent increase from the 84,000 recorded in 2023. This figure is the highest since systematic record-keeping began in 1979, exceeding the previous peak of 103,000 cases in 2002. Additionally, the Home Office reported approximately 44,000 incidents of unauthorised entry attempts, mainly via Channel crossings. These statistics highlight notable changes in migration trends and present considerable challenges for the Government regarding border management.
In response to mounting public concern, the Government has embarked upon an increasingly aggressive policy trajectory, designed to curtail the flow of newcomers entering and remaining within the UK. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has signalled an intention to test the boundaries of existing immigration legislation by re-examining the status of indefinite leave to remain. A legal entitlement that currently extends to approximately 4.5 million individuals who have spent five years in the country. Under Mahmood’s proposed reforms, individuals seeking ILR would face heightened requirements including demonstrable proficiency in the English language, a clear criminal record, and evidence of civic participation through voluntary work.
The Government has additionally implemented substantive changes to the graduate visa route. Curtailing the duration of post-study residence from two years to eighteen months, whilst simultaneously raising the immigration skills charge that employers must pay when sponsoring overseas workers by approximately one-third.
Yet these stringent measures come with considerable economic consequences that the Government’s own assessments cannot ignore. A Home Office impact analysis, disclosed this week, reveals troubling financial projections associated with the proposed immigration restrictions. The Government acknowledges that its crackdown strategy could leave the UK worse off to the tune of £1.2 billion over the ensuing five years, with worst-case scenario modelling suggesting potential losses reaching as high as £4.4 billion.
These losses would primarily manifest through diminished university tuition fee revenue as international graduate numbers decline, reduced visa fee collections, and an estimated fall in income tax receipts attributable to fewer overseas workers remaining in employment. The assessment suggests that between 11,000 and 15,000 students annually will elect not to pursue studies in British institutions, with graduate visa applications forecast to decline by 16,000 per annum by 2030. Universities UK International has expressed concern that any tuition fee increases will be entirely negated by other policy alterations, leaving the higher education sector considerably disadvantaged whilst contributing to broader economic contraction.
Concurrent with these policy announcements, the Government faces a separate but equally damaging crisis stemming from systemic failures within its prison infrastructure. This week, Ministers disclosed an alarming reality that has become increasingly difficult to conceal: several prisoners are being mistakenly released from British custodial facilities each week. Formal Government estimates indicate that 262 individuals were inadvertently discharged during the twelve-month period concluding in March 2025, representing the fourth consecutive year of escalating releases and more than doubling the 115 reported in the preceding year. The situation gained prominence following the accidental release of Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, whose subsequent arrest triggered weeks of public demonstrations and exposed the fragility of border management protocols.
A junior justice minister characterised the prison system as being in “utter chaos,” attributing the crisis to the chronic underfunding and austerity measures implemented during the preceding Conservative administration, alongside the Government’s failure to expand custodial capacity despite inmate populations doubling over the past three decades.
This week’s reports about the accidental release of prisoners seem especially at odds with the Government’s claims that it has enough control to enforce stricter immigration measures. The fact that people detained for deportation or serving sentences for immigration offences are being mistakenly released seriously calls into question ministers’ assertions about “smashing the gangs” or having a “grip” on the immigration system. Concerns are raised that if the state cannot properly oversee the detention and controlled release of those already within the criminal justice system, it is reasonable to doubt its ability to carry out the complex screening, vetting, and enforcement required by tougher immigration policies.
A significant report released from the University of Oxford’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights offers additional perspective on this week’s developments, though through a distinctly different lens. The institute’s analysis of media coverage concerning the European Convention on Human Rights reveals that approximately 75 per cent of ECHR-related journalism published during the first half of 2025 concentrated upon immigration and deportation matters.
Oxford researchers found consistent misreporting of UK immigration tribunal proceedings, noting that misleading media coverage has created misconceptions and weakened trust in the legal system. The report shows that since 1980, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the UK in just 13 removal cases, with only four relating to family life. Despite media claims, the ECHR has presented little obstacle to Government removals. The researchers warn that proposals to limit British involvement in the ECHR are based on misunderstanding rather than evidence.
Recent developments this week show that the Government’s tougher approach to immigration is now resulting in specific changes to the law. The Statement of Changes issued on 14 October 2025 made several new policies official for example, higher English language standards and shorter Graduate Visa periods creating immediate requirements for legal professionals.
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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
Iranian man who made second small boat crossing is returned to France again – The Guardian
An Iranian man who returned to the UK on a small boat after being sent back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme has been removed for a second time, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said on Wednesday. The man was flown back to France; despite continuing to insist he is a victim of modern slavery. For full report, click here
UK lawyers warn of ‘race to the bottom’ after Tory MP issues deportation threat – The Guardian
Leading British lawyers have warned of a political “race to the bottom”, after a Conservative MP tipped as future party leader said large numbers of legally settled families must be deported. Katie Lam, a shadow Home Office minister and a Tory whip, said people with legal status in the UK should have their right to stay revoked, to ensure the UK is mostly “culturally coherent”. For full report, click here
Ministers were warned of errors at jail that released sex offender by mistake – The Guardian
Ministers were warned by a watchdog that prisoners were “falling through the cracks” of chaotic release procedures at the jail that mistakenly freed a convicted child sex offender. An annual report on HMP Chelmsford uncovered “a litany of issues and errors” including “a mix-up of release dates” when letting out a vulnerable prisoner. For full report, click here
More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care – The Guardian
More than 50 lone child asylum seekers who disappeared soon after arriving in the UK and while in the care of the authorities are still missing, according to data obtained by the Guardian. Many of the missing children arrived in small boats or hidden in the backs of lorries and are thought to have been taken by traffickers. Kent is often the place where they arrive. For full report, click here
Prisoner hands himself back in after mistaken release from prison – BBC News
A man who was mistakenly released from prison on the day he was sentenced to jail has handed himself back in after three days, police have said. Smith 35, was released as a result of a clerical error at court level – with a suspended sentence entered into the computer system instead of a custodial sentence. A correction was made, but sent to the wrong person. For full report, click here
Wandsworth manhunt latest: Search on for two prisoners freed by mistake – and reason for latest error revealed – SKY News
After a manhunt was launched for a foreign prisoner mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth recently, police have now said another was freed in error. SKY News’s correspondent Tom Parmenter reports one happened five days after the release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu. For full report, click here
Labour’s immigration crackdown could cost the UK £4.4bn, Home Office’s own assessment admits – The Independent
A Home Office assessment looking at the impact of these policy changes has predicted the UK will likely be £1.2bn worse off over the next five years – with the possibility that the negative financial hit could be as much as £4.4bn. The best-case scenario is that the UK makes £0.8bn through the changes. For full report, click here
Britain records Europe’s biggest increase in asylum claims – The Times
More than 108,000 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2024, a 28 per cent increase compared with the 84,000 recorded in 2023. The figure is the highest number since records began in 1979, eclipsing the 103,000 claims lodged in 2002. For full report, click here
How migrants stall deportation by claiming they were slaves abroad – The Times
Allegations of slavery can delay deportation for those turned down for asylum while the separate claim is assessed. At least 200 staff are employed by the Home Office to assess modern slavery claims, amid a backlog that stood at 17,000 cases by the end of 2024. Mahmood’s plans would require these claims to be lodged at the same time as those of asylum. For full report, click here
Ministers must get a grip on the right to reside in UK – The Times
Shabana Mahmood said she was willing to test the boundaries of the country’s immigration system in order to answer public concern over the huge numbers of foreign nationals who have arrived in this country in recent years. With public concern over immigration running high, it is no surprise that the main political parties are focusing on Britain’s porous border. For full report, click here
Mini-mart crime networks a ‘pull factor’ for illegal migrants, say MPs – BBC News
The Home Office has promised to investigate after a BBC investigation uncovered more than 100 businesses linked to a Kurdish gang enabling migrants to work illegally selling counterfeit cigarettes in High Street mini-marts. The fake company directors are paid to put their names to official paperwork, and have dozens of businesses listed on Companies House, but are not involved in running them. For full report, click here
Crime fixer caught by BBC offering to erase £60K fines on migrant workers – BBC News
A man at the centre of an organised crime network has been secretly filmed telling BBC undercover reporters how he can help to erase fines of up to £60,000 for employing illegal workers. The man, who goes by the name of Shaxawan, told the two journalists that he and his associates could help migrants – including asylum seekers – to set up businesses illegally and “confuse” immigration enforcement. Operating from a solicitor’s office in Huddersfield, he said he had “customers in every city”. For full report, click here
Portsmouth Premises Licence Suspended After Home Office RAID – V2 Radio News
A Port Solent restaurant has had its licence suspended for a month after immigration officers found an illegal worker on site. Immigration officers entered the restaurant and found two people with no right to work in the UK. Both individuals were arrested and deported, but the business was later issued with a £40,000 civil penalty for one of the workers. For full report, click here
Cibo restaurant fined £80k for hiring illegal workers – BBC News
The owner of an Italian restaurant chain popular with Manchester’s celebrities has been fined £80,000 after three people were found to have been working illegally there. The Home Office said three of its employees were in breach of their visa conditions and did not have the right to work in the United Kingdom. For full report, click here
Immigration solicitor struck off after admitting misleading client over asylum claim – Law Gazette
A partner who specialised in immigration and asylum law has been struck off the roll after he admitted misleading his client and an MP about submissions to the Home Office in relation to an asylum claim. The solicitor admitted sending emails to the client and a case worker for the client’s MP, which he knew or ought to have known were misleading about the date of his submissions. For full report, click here
Case Law
Singaram, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 1375
The Court of Appeal upheld the immediate cancellation of a student’s visa for breaching his 20-hours-per-week work condition. Although procedural fairness ordinarily requires notice of any discretion to defer cancellation, the Court found no material breach where the claimant had provided all relevant information during interviews. His own admissions established he worked approximately 38 hours per week, substantially exceeding permitted hours. Procedural irregularities causing no substantive prejudice to the individual do not render immigration decisions unlawful. For full decision, click here
ST (Adoptions: ‘overseas’ adoptions: para 310) India [2025] UKUT 352 (IAC)
The Upper Tribunal clarified that whilst a UK-recognised overseas adoption is an important consideration in human rights assessments under Article 8, recognition alone does not satisfy immigration rules requirements. Adoptions effected through customary procedures (rather than formal court decisions) and those arising from family agreement (rather than parental inability to care) will fail to meet specific immigration rule criteria, though they remain relevant to proportionality assessments. For full decision, click here
Independent Reports
Afghanistan: The situation of individuals who worked for the former government, international forces, or the judiciary under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004 – 2021) – Asylos
Asylos’ analysis demonstrates that the Home Office’s assessment that former government officials and civil servants face generally low risk is contradicted by the country information within its own policy note, which documents widespread arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings of this profile. The commentary further challenges a quantitative approach to risk assessment that artificially raises evidentiary thresholds, highlights divergence from EU and UNHCR assessments which acknowledge this profile’s vulnerability and criticises the failure to update country information or account for information access limitations in Afghanistan, particularly given ongoing harms from the 2022 data breach including documented killings. For full report, click here
Home Office Guidance and Documents Policy Updates
Guidance: Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme has been updated on 05th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Living in the UK: applying from overseas has been updated on 05th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 05th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 05th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Iraq: country policy and information notes has been updated on 05th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Immigration status checks: guidance for banks and building societies has been updated on 04th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Afghanistan: country policy and information notes has been updated on 04th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: High Potential Individual visa: global universities list has been updated on 04th November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Form: Apply to change your permission to allow access to public funds has been updated on 04th November 2025. To view the updated Form, click here
Guidance: Nepal: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 02nd November 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen has been updated on 31st October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, click here
Guidance: Pakistan: country policy and information notes has been updated on 31st October 2025. To view the updated Guidance, 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.
