News Update – 15 May 2026
This week’s most significant development for UK immigration practice is undoubtedly the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May 2026, at which the Government confirmed in the King’s Speech that a new Immigration and Asylum Bill will be brought forward. Described in the accompanying briefing notes as legislation intended to increase confidence in the security of the system, the Bill will implement the principal reforms first set out in the Restoring Order and Control statement of November 2025 and is being framed by ministers as the most significant recasting of asylum policy in a generation.
The various existing categories of protection are to be replaced by a single “core protection” model, with the stated aim of simplifying decision-making, reducing legal challenges, and incentivising refugees into work. The circumstances in which protection can be revoked will be set out in statute, confined to those who remain at risk in their country of origin and who comply with UK laws. Asylum seekers in state-funded accommodation will additionally be required to contribute to the cost of their support once they are in a position to do so.
The appeals architecture is also set for substantial change. The Bill proposes the creation of a new independent appeals body to replace the First-tier Tribunal, staffed by professionally trained adjudicators and intended to integrate more tightly with the wider immigration process so that unsuccessful appellants can be removed more quickly. Provisions for immediate forced removal of appeal-exhausted individuals, alongside strengthened age assessment to identify false claims by those representing themselves as minors, will sit beside these structural reforms.
Equally important for advisers will be the proposed tightening of Article 8 ECHR. The Government intends to define family life in statute, restricting it to a core family unit comprising spouses, parents, and children, and to ensure that the public interest is given greater weight in proportionality assessments. The briefing notes cite figures from January to September 2022 indicating that 86 per cent of those raising rights-based applications in pre-removal detention were released, a statistic the Government is plainly relying upon to justify the recalibration. The modern slavery legislative framework is also to be reformed, with measures addressing late presentation of trafficking accounts and enhanced enforcement tools for law enforcement agencies.
The fiscal context advanced by ministers is striking: asylum claims have risen by 74% in the UK since 2021, against a 26 per cent increase across the EU; some 450,000 asylum applications were lodged in the UK between 2021 and 2025, while only 32,000 asylum-related returns were carried out in the same period; and 107,000 individuals are currently in receipt of state support, at a cost of £4 billion in the previous year. In 2025, 48,408 grants of refugee status and 4,787 grants of Humanitarian Protection were made. Whether these figures will sustain the planned reforms through Parliamentary scrutiny remains to be tested, but the legislative direction is now firmly set.
Running parallel to the domestic agenda is a notable development in the wider European conversation. Ministers of the Council of Europe are due to meet, where the question of relocating rejected asylum seekers to third country “hubs” will be discussed at a multilateral level for the first time. The Council’s secretary general, Alain Berset, has indicated that a political declaration will issue from the meeting, stressing member states’ right to control their borders and responding to concerns that human rights law has impeded the removal of foreign nationals refused leave to remain.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been among the European interior ministers pressing for a reinterpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights, and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to attend the Moldova conference. Although the declaration will not be legally binding, it is reported to focus on curbing reliance on Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention in removal cases, mirroring the domestic direction of the new Bill.
For context, the EU has already voted to permit the establishment of return hubs, and Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands are reported to be in active discussions with potential host countries. The twelve jurisdictions said to be under consideration span Africa, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, ranging from Rwanda and Ghana to Uzbekistan and Montenegro. Reform UK and the Conservatives have meanwhile committed to withdrawing from the Convention should they form a government, lending further political pressure to the multilateral discussions.
On the UKVI enforcement front, the past few weeks have provided a clear illustration of the intensified operational effort against illegal working and the exploitation that frequently accompanies it. Norfolk Constabulary, working alongside Home Office Immigration Enforcement, reported that 14 arrests had been made during Operation Silent across four action days in Norwich and Thetford. The targets were commercial delivery vehicles, including electric bikes, mopeds, and vans, and the offences identified ranged from illegal working and overstaying to breach of a deportation order.
A driver delivering frozen meat in an unrefrigerated van was found to have breached the 20-hour weekly work limit on his student visa and stopped attending his course; his leave was revoked and he now faces deportation. Two men in a vehicle carrying a large amount of cash were also arrested on suspicion of money laundering, and officers seized eight illegally modified e-bikes and 11 other vehicles. Police said the operation reflected a national rise of about 50 per cent in immigration-enforcement arrests over the previous year.
Suffolk Police reported a similar operation in Ipswich, where a multi-agency Maple Together initiative visited 12 premises in the Gipping and Westgate areas, leading to three immigration-related arrests, £130,000 in fines, the seizure of illicit tobacco, a shop closure notice, and a fire prohibition notice. Senior officers said workers were kept in unacceptable conditions, paid cash below the minimum wage, and left effectively invisible within the system. The focus on the cash-based high-street grey economy is consistent with the wider pattern of enforcement activity across England.
The Home Office has asked Telford and Wrekin Council to revoke the licence of an Indian restaurant in Ketley after immigration raids in 2020 and 2025, each of which led to the arrest of two illegal workers from Bangladesh. A £40,000 civil penalty issued after the second raid is under appeal. Immigration Enforcement says conditions or suspension would be insufficient, and the council’s licensing department is reported to support revocation. Councillors are expected to decide the matter shortly.
With the legislative agenda moving at a fast pace, the opportunity to spend time with senior counsel and fellow practitioners is especially valuable.
HJT Training will hold two in-person afternoon conferences this summer. Immigration Law Update 2026 takes place in Birmingham on 10 June 2026, with Mark Symes and Adam Pipe covering refugee protection, earned settlement reforms, Immigration Rules changes, and sponsor licence revocation. Preparing and Presenting the Perfect Appeal follows in central London on 1 July 2026, with former Judge Julian Phillips, Mark Symes and David Jones discussing evidence, submissions and advocacy. Both events also offer a useful chance for immigration advisors to network with peers and experts.
Places are limited and early booking is encouraged. To book, visit HERE
For assistance with enquiries or bookings, contact us on enquiries@hjt-training.co.uk or call us on 075 4416 4692.
For the full list of updates on media news SEE BELOW
The King’s Speech 2026
The King’s Speech, delivered at the State Opening of Parliament this week included plans for a new immigration bill which Ministers say is aimed at restoring control, rebuilding public trust and delivering a system that is both firm and fair. To read the full speech, visit here.
BBC unmasks key people smuggler in network behind most small boat crossings – BBC News
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd has evaded arrest for several years by operating under the alias “Kardo Ranya”. He has kept his real name a closely guarded secret, which has frustrated law enforcement agencies in their efforts to issue an international warrant for his arrest. To view the full article, visit here
European ministers to discuss sending rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs – The Guardian
European ministers will this week discuss plans to send thousands of rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs, the head of the continent’s human rights body has told the Guardian. Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, said discussions about the removal of people who arrived in Europe by irregular routes would take place “at a multilateral level” at a meeting in Moldova on Friday. To view the full article, visit here
Care home workers ‘in limbo’ from UK immigration changes – The Herald
Care home workers in Scotland have been “left in limbo” by UK Government visa changes, a new report seen by The Herald warns. The UK Government tightened its immigration laws last year and halted new overseas applications for the social work visa, which is part of the skilled worker scheme. To read the full article, visit here
Albanian people smugglers mock UK’s soft borders on TikTok – Daily Mail
Albanian people smugglers have shared a TikTok video mocking Britain’s soft borders as they advertised £2,000-a-head Channel crossings by sharing a clip of Jacob Rees-Mogg. An account calling itself ‘Eagles’ – after the bird of prey depicted on Albania’s flag has racked up tens of thousands of views with clips mocking Britain’s porous borders. To view the full article, visit here
Home Office calls for Indian restaurant to lose licence – BBC News
The Home Office has called for an Indian restaurant in Telford to lose its premises licence after illegal workers were found there in two separate raids. Officials said the licence holder of the Blue Elephant in Ketley, Shander Herian, “would have been aware of his responsibilities” and argued additional licence conditions or a suspension were not sufficient sanctions. To read the full article, visit here.
More than 10 arrests have been made as a result of Operation Silent – Norfolk Constabulary
Norfolk Police partnered with Home Office Immigration Enforcement colleagues again, for a number of action days last month, to tackle organised immigration crime. In total, 14 arrests were made for offences including working illegally in the UK, illegally overstaying and breaching a deportation order. To read the full article, visit here
Three arrested during crackdown on town shops – BBC News
A crackdown on exploitation and modern slavery in Ipswich led to three immigration-related arrests by police. They were looking to identify any illegal workers and criminal gangs operating above them as part of a multi-agency operation across Suffolk. Supt Tom Pearse, from Suffolk Police, said officers were finding people from all over the world who were being exploited in town centre shops. To view the full article, visit here
Judgment and reason delays lead to sanctions for tribunal judges – Law Gazette
Two tribunal judges have been sanctioned over their delays in providing either a judgment or statement of reasons – with one explaining a change in working practices had ‘negatively contributed’ to his workload. To view the full article, visit here
Case Law
Kalidasan & Ors v SSHD [2026] EWCA Civ 561
The Court of Appeal granted four student-to-Skilled-Worker switchers permission to apply for judicial review, remitting their cases to the Upper Tribunal. Refining Islam [2025] EWCA Civ 45, the Court held it is arguable that where the SSHD engages with the merits of an invalid application rather than simply rejecting it under SW1.6, she may be taken to have exercised the discretion to waive invalidity and must then give adequate reasons for declining to do so and that this discretion is distinct from the discretion to grant leave outside the Rules, each requiring its own reasons where engaged. To view the full decision, visit here
In R (EBA) v SSD & SSHD [2026] EWHC 1131 (Admin)
The High Court dismissed a challenge to the ARAP scheme’s closure without notice on 1 July 2025. The Court held the 21-day convention generated no legitimate expectation, and immediate closure was objectively justified to prevent a last-minute surge of (overwhelmingly ineligible) applications ahead of the anticipated “break glass” disclosure of the February 2022 MoD data breach. The mandatory eligibility cut-off left no discretion to accept late applications; bereaved family members of deceased Triples personnel who never applied in time are now confined to applying for leave outside the Rules. To view the full decision, visit here
Home Office Policy and Guidance Updates
Transparency data: Country returns guide has been updated on 12th May 2026. To view the updated data, visit here
Guidance: Passports for ‘looked after children’: guidance notes for social services has been updated on 11th May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Statutory guidance: Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims has been updated on 11th May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Transparency data: Home Office: business appointment rules advice has been updated on 27th April 2026. To view the updated data, visit here