UK and Turkey strengthen partnership to help tackle illegal migration – Home Office
UK and Turkish law enforcement officers will step up joint operations to tackle organised immigration crime and disrupt the supply chain of boat parts and other materials used as part of illegal migration journeys.
The move follows Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick’s visit to Turkey last month, the latest in a number of strategically important international visits to strengthen cooperation on the challenge of tackling illegal migration and disrupting the routes used by smugglers.
For full report, click here
Crime leader who recruited illegal workers to clean at Sainsbury’s jailed – Home Office
Members of a criminal gang which recruited illegal migrants to work as cleaners across a string of Sainsbury’s supermarkets in Oxfordshire and the southwest have been sentenced.
Five defendants were sentenced at Oxfordshire Crown Court yesterday (August 7) over their roles in the organised crime group who profited from the facilitation, work placement and housing of around 40 illegal workers, mainly from west Africa.
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Government to build cases to prosecute rogue immigration lawyers – Home Office
A government clampdown on crooked lawyers who coach illegal migrants to lie will see a dedicated taskforce work with industry bodies and law enforcement to build stronger evidence bases to support prosecutions.
The vast majority of lawyers act with professionalism and integrity but, as recent media reports have demonstrated, a small minority has been helping illegal migrants stay in the UK by encouraging them to make false claims.
The Professional Enablers Taskforce is bringing together regulatory bodies, law enforcement teams and government departments to increase enforcement action against lawyers who help migrants exploit the immigration system.
For full report, click here
Tripling of fines for those supporting illegal migrants – Home Office
Fines are to be more than tripled for employers and landlords who allow illegal migrants to work for them or rent their properties, in the biggest shake up of civil penalties since 2014.
The civil penalty for employers, which was last increased in 2014, will be raised to up to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach from £15,000, and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches from £20,000.
For landlords the fines will increase from £80 per lodger and £1,000 per occupier for a first breach to up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier. Repeat breaches will be up to £10,000 per lodger and £20,000 per occupier, up from £500 and £3,000 respectively. The higher penalties will come in at the start of 2024.
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New tech partnership to stop the boats – Home Office
A voluntary partnership between social media companies and government will accelerate action to tackle people smuggling content online, such as criminals sharing information about illegal Channel crossings.
It comes as new figures show the government continues to make progress on the Prime Minister’s plan to stop the boats: crossings remain down on last year, the legacy asylum backlog has been reduced by a third since December 2022, and enforced returns of people with no right to be in the UK are at their highest level since 2019.
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UK would be outlier with Russia if it left ECHR, Law Society says –The Guardian
The UK would be an international outlier along with Russia and Belarus if it left the European convention on human rights, a leading law body has warned, after a senior minister signalled that the move could be an option to stop small boat crossings.
Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said the government would do “whatever is necessary”, even if that meant pulling out of the ECHR, the 70-year-old pan-European treaty that protects human rights and political freedoms in the continent.
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Conservative HQ criticised for ‘targeted campaign’ against immigration lawyer – The Guardian
In an article for the Guardian, Jacqueline McKenzie, the head of immigration at Leigh Day and a partner at the firm, said Conservative party HQ had sent a briefing to the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express that was inaccurate and intended to whip up ill-feeling towards her.
McKenzie, who described the dossier as “underpinned by racism and misogyny” said it had ignored the fact that she had spent 90% of her time doing Windrush work, which included sitting on the independent advisory group that delivered the Windrush Lessons Learned review, set up by Sajid Javid.
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HM Passport Office still giving out false information about expiry dates for trips to EU after Brexit – The Independent
The UK government is still giving out false information about the validity of children’s passports for travel to the EU, 32 months after passport expiry rules changed as a result of Brexit – putting expensive family holidays needlessly at risk.
One family, from Sheffield, was on the brink of cancelling a £5,000 cruise to Spain and Portugal after repeatedly being assured, incorrectly, that the passport belonging to their nine-year-old had expired. After contacting The Independent, their holiday will now go ahead.
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Asylum seekers in the UK awaiting a decision: Latest numbers – The Independent
The number of people in the UK waiting for a decision on their asylum application stood at nearly 173,000 in March, according to the latest available data – the equivalent of around 345 Bibby barges.
The asylum backlog has been on an upward trend in recent years, driven by a sharp rise in cases and longer turnaround times for decisions. A total of 172,758 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application at the end of March 2023, Home Office figures show.
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Bibby Stockholm: Home Office breaks rules trying to put disabled asylum seekers and torture victims on barge – The Independent
Disabled asylum seekers, torture victims and migrants who have suffered “traumatic experiences at sea” are among those that the Home Office has attempted to put on board the Bibby Stockholm – in violation of its own rules.
The Independent understands that a man who is blind in one eye, another partially sighted person, and migrants with phobias of water were issued with transfer orders that were successfully challenged by lawyers. The department has so far been forced to reverse decisions to move at least 20 people and is now facing a wider challenge against the Bibby Stockholm.
For full report, click here
Home Office rejects Nigerian man’s right to stay in UK over links to countries he’s never visited – The Independent
A Nigerian man has had his bid to remain in the UK rejected by the Home Office because of connections to countries he’s never even visited, The Independent can reveal.
In a letter that prompts serious questions about the standard of government decision-making, officials wrote that the man, 57, who has lived in the UK for decades, should have no problem returning to Lebanon or India despite him having no links to either country.
His latest leave to remain application for permission to stay in the country was submitted in July 2022 based on his family ties to the UK – his sister and brother live in Scotland and Essex respectively.
For full report, click here
Jamaican ex-banker wins right to remain in UK after ‘unlawful’ Home Office detention – The Independent
A Jamaican ex-banker who was “unlawfully detained” by the Home Office has won his right to remain in the UK, The Independent can reveal.
James Matthews, 34, was awaiting the outcome of his application for leave to remain before being detained in Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in May 2022 and labeled an “overstayer”.
The former Jamaica National Bank employee had applied for leave to remain on the basis of his relationship with a British citizen in July 2020, but the Home Office said this application was refused on 2 February this year. However, Mr. Matthews says he wasn’t notified about this.
For full report, click here
INDEPENDENT REPORT
Annual assessment of continuing competence 2023 – Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Legal Services Board has published their latest statement of policy on ongoing competence outcomes. It sets out that legal regulators should be able to assure themselves that the lawyers they regulate have the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide competent legal services.
This report outlines findings from SRA’s review into how solicitors keep their skills and knowledge up to date and how firms make sure they are competent to provide the legal services they offer.
SRA has analysed a range of information to do this, including:
- Data from reports made to us alleging incompetence about a solicitor or firm
- Findings from our most recent thematic reviews
- Findings from our wider checks on training and supervision arrangements.
To access the full report, click here
HOME OFFICE GUIDANCE & POLICY DOCUMENT UPDATES
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): EU Settlement Scheme – guidance for applicants has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme: family and travel permits: caseworker guidance has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Guidance: New immigration system (for points based applications) has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme: information for local authorities has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Policy paper: UK-Turkey joint statement on illegal migration has been published on 9th August 2023. To view the Policy, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme: information for employers has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated information, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme: caseworker guidance has been updated on 9th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Guidance: Voluntary Returns Service (VRS) has been updated on 8th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2024 have been announced to release on 28th November 2023. The announcement can be viewed here
- Guidance: EU Settlement Scheme: application-processing times have been updated on 4th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Asylum accommodation factsheets have been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the information, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Government Authorised Exchange schemes have been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Shortage Occupation List has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated List, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Private Life has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Adult Dependent Relative has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Scheme, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Service Providers from Switzerland has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Youth Mobility Scheme has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Innovator Founder has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix Scale-up has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules Appendix AR: administrative review has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Immigration Rules part 11: asylum have been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Global Business Mobility routes caseworker guidance has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Scale-up worker caseworker guidance has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Rules, click here
- Guidance: Apply to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Ukraine Extension Scheme: caseworker guidance has been updated on 7th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Collection: Migration research and analysis has been updated on 4th August 2023. To view the updated Collection, click here
- Guidance: Modern slavery victims: referral has been updated on 4th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Country returns guide has been updated on 4th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Research and analysis: Evaluating the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Pilot has been published on 4th August 2023. To view the Paper, click here
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