News Update – 24 April 2026
The past week has brought a striking convergence of news in UK immigration. Spanning from border enforcement, opposition policy, criminal abuse of the immigration system, employer compliance reform, and a regulatory response from the SRA that touches every solicitor in England and Wales.
The Government has made its position clear; curbing irregular migration remains a front-line political priority, and it is willing to pay substantially for it. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, signed a new three-year agreement with France worth £660m, replacing the previous £478m deal that collapsed at the end of March 2026.
The agreement funds a 40% uplift in enforcement, intelligence and military personnel on the French coast, including a new 50-strong riot squad trained in crowd-control tactics and equipped with batons, shields and teargas to disperse those attempting to board small boats. Notably, £160m has been earmarked for trialling new approaches on a payment-by-results basis, with the Home Office retaining the power to withhold funding in years two and three if outcomes are not delivered.
Organisations including Freedom from Torture and the Refugee Council have criticised the policing-led approach, arguing that without safe and legal routes, desperate people will continue to make the crossing regardless of enforcement. For practitioners, the deal reinforces that the Government sees deterrence at the border, rather than expanded access to protection, as the primary lever for reducing Channel crossings.
Against that backdrop, Reform UK has set out a considerably more radical stall. The party pledged that, if elected, it would carry out an immediate review of every asylum claim decided in the previous five years, placing an estimated 400,000 people at risk of deportation. The review would target those who had been granted asylum, overstayed a visa, or arrived from a country a Reform-led Government deemed safe. Reform’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, indicated that the party would build modular detention capacity for 22,500 people, withdraw welfare support and accommodation from those arriving unlawfully, and rely on existing Home Office records of method of entry rather than reassess each claim on its merits.
These pledges sit alongside Reform’s earlier commitments to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, scrap indefinite leave to remain after five years, and offer financial incentives of around £1,000 plus an air ticket to encourage voluntary departures. The proposals have been dismissed by the Liberal Democrats as an impractical farce, criticised by the Refugee Council as neither serious nor workable, and described by the Conservatives as a thinly detailed imitation of their own platform.
Concern has also been mounting about the visible abuse of family and partner routes through social media. An investigation by The iPaper this week revealed that matchmaking groups on Facebook, ostensibly aimed at genuine couples seeking marriage, are being used as an open marketplace for sham marriages. Posts uncovered across eight public groups included individuals openly describing themselves as asylum seekers or irregular migrants looking for a British or settled partner, and others offering their settled status to prospective spouses in need of a visa.
Meta has since removed the flagged content. Research cited in the report from Oxford University’s Migration Observatory confirms that most partner migration cases involve genuine relationships, and Freedom of Information data suggests that only around 1.2% of marriages flagged as suspicious between 2016 and 2022 were formally identified as sham.
Even so, the visibility of such activity on a mainstream platform has unsettled practitioners representing genuine couples, who are already navigating restrictive rules, heightened scrutiny and intrusive evidential requirements. The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association has warned that the operation of these networks makes it harder for legitimate applicants to be taken seriously, and the Home Office has reiterated that its referral and investigation scheme will continue to prioritise early disruption.
Employers face a significant expansion of their responsibilities under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 2nd December 2025 and is expected to commence later this year. Section 48 of the Act extends the illegal working regime well beyond the traditional employer-employee relationship. Right to work checks will become obligatory not only for employees, but also for workers, self-employed individuals, individual subcontractors, and potentially agency workers and those engaged through online matching platforms. That represents a meaningful shift. Under the current regime, the employment agency is responsible for right to work checks on its own agency workers, but the new framework may place liability on end users further up the supply chain.
Existing civil and criminal sanctions remain but will now reach this wider workforce. First breaches within a three-year period could attract fines of up to £45,000 per worker, rising to £60,000 for repeat breaches, alongside naming and shaming, temporary business closures, director disqualification, and, in the most serious cases, prison sentences of up to five years and unlimited fines.
For sectors reliant on casual, gig and agency labour, the compliance burden will be substantial, and many businesses will need to revisit their onboarding, supplier due diligence and training processes well ahead of commencement. Immigration advisers supporting corporate clients are now therefore required to review contracts with agencies and subcontractors, updating right to work protocols, and ensuring that gig economy platforms are prepared to integrate verification checks into their onboarding systems.
Finally, the regulatory environment for legal practitioners themselves is tightening. Following recent reporting that exposed caseworkers at certain firms advising migrants on how to stage fraudulent asylum claims to remain in the UK, regulators have signalled a clear intent to strengthen professional oversight.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority published proposals that would require all solicitors to keep a formal record of their learning and development, identifying both their training needs and the steps taken to address them. Although the SRA is not proposing a return to the mandatory CPD points system abandoned a decade ago, it is proposing a new annual requirement for every solicitor to participate in facilitated group discussions working through ethical dilemmas and scenarios, for a minimum of three hours per year. Solicitors would be required to declare compliance when renewing their practising certificate.
The SRA has framed the reforms against the backdrop of the Post Office scandal, controversy over non-disclosure agreements, and broader concerns that some practitioners are overlooking their ethical duties. For immigration practitioners in particular, whose work routinely involves vulnerable clients, complex evidential questions and significant regulatory scrutiny, the emphasis on ethics is timely.
The consultation closes on 15th July 2026, and any final rules will require approval from the Legal Services Board, but firms would be well advised to start thinking now about how to embed structured ethical discussion into their compliance and supervision frameworks. For those operating in the immigration space, where the reputational and regulatory stakes of poor conduct are especially high, the proposals offer an opportunity to reinforce a culture of integrity rather than simply a box to tick.
With the SRA’s new proposals placing fresh emphasis on continuing competence and ethical rigour, HJT Training’s upcoming season offers a timely and well-rounded training scheduled covering every important area of immigration practice.
The Immigration Law Update Conference in Birmingham on 10th June 2026, led by Mark Symes and Adam Pipe, offers updates on new rules and peer networking. On 1st July 2026 in London, Preparing and Presenting the Perfect Appeal features insights from former Judge Julian Phillips, Mark Symes and David Jones. The Perfect Caseworker on 9th June 2026 overs essential casework standards, while Managing Home Office Audits on 25 June, led by Sacha Wooldridge, addresses right to work checks and sponsor compliance.
All HJT Training courses are CPD-accredited and designed to keep immigration advisers at the forefront of the latest developments, in full alignment with Solicitors Regulation Authority, Immigration Advice Authority and Bar Standards Board continuing competence standards. Whether you are a solicitor, barrister, IAA-regulated adviser or caseworker, our programme supports you in meeting your regulatory obligations while deepening your practical expertise.
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For assistance with enquiries or bookings, contact us on enquiries@hjt-training.co.uk or call us on 075 4416 4692.
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For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Guidance and Policy updates, see our Immigration News Update BELOW
Immigration News
UK to pay France another £660m to curb Channel crossings – The Guardian
The UK Government has agreed to pay France another £660m to curb the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel, including plans to fund a riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small boats. To view the full article, visit here
Migrant care workers to leaflet Shabana Mahmood constituents over longer wait to settle
Migrant workers and the UK’s largest union will carry out a mass leafleting campaign in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency to protest against a planned change in immigration policy. The Labour-affiliated Unison union says the changes will adversely affect migrant care workers. About one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers are migrants. To view the full article, visit here
Reform UK vows to deport hundreds of thousands of refugees – Financial Times
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has pledged to deport hundreds of thousands of refugees who have already been granted protection in the UK, as part of a severe crackdown on migration to Britain. Reform’s review would determine whether the people granted refugee status had entered Britain illegally or overstayed their visas and whether their country of origin was now deemed to be safe. If they met one of these criteria, they would have their protection in the UK rescinded. To view the full article, visit here
Reform pledges to review all asylum claims for past five years if it wins power – BBC News
Reform UK has pledged an immediate review of all asylum claims from the last five years should the party win the next general election. Around 400,000 people would be liable for deportation under the plans, which would target anybody granted asylum, overstaying a visa, or from a country deemed safe by a Reform-led Government. To view the full article, visit here
We must listen to UK on migration, says Council of Europe boss – The Times
Britain’s concerns about the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) hampering its migration policy need to be taken seriously and “addressed”, the head of the body that oversees the treaty. Alain Berset, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said the human rights system had to adapt to the challenges which states face in handling mass immigration or it risked losing its legitimacy. To view the full article, visit here
Migrants set up fake marriages to stay in the UK using these Facebook groups – iNews
A marketplace for sham marriages is operating on Facebook, with migrants attempting to come to the UK posting “lonely hearts” ads in an apparent bid to gain visas. Messages posted to matchmaking groups on the social media platform include a 20-year-old male “struggling with visa hassle” looking for a “contract or real marriage” and another “looking for a groom for a UK Illegal Bride”. To view the full article, visit here
West London shop to stay open despite illegal worker paid below minimum wage – The Standard
The worker had his protection claim with the Home Office withdrawn in 2023 meaning he had no right to work in the UK for three years when found at Oldfield Circus Local. An off-licence in Greenford will keep its licence despite hiring an illegal worker and paying him below minimum wage. To view the full article, visit here
How will the revised illegal working regime impact agency staff? – People Management
Under the expanded regime, penalties will now apply if a worker engages a delegate to work for someone else or if services are subcontracted to another individual. If an employer fails to carry out the required checks, they could face fines of up to £45,000 for a first breach within a three-year period and up to £60,000 per illegal worker for repeat offences. Employers also risk reputational damage through Home Office ‘naming and shaming’ practices, temporary business closures, director disqualification and, in extremely serious cases where a criminal offence is established, prison sentences of up to five years and unlimited fines. To view the full article, visit here
SRA proposes mandatory three-hour ethics ‘discussions’ for solicitors – Law Gazette
Solicitors could be required to keep a record of how they are staying on top of learning and development under new rules for continuing competence. The Solicitors Regulation Authority is also proposing that all solicitors must take part once a year in discussions to ‘work through ethical dilemmas and scenarios’ with colleagues. To view the full article, visit here
Independent Reports
Drop plans for new appeals body focus on Home Office decision making – The Law Society
The Law Society has called on the Government to abandon plans for a new appeals body replacing the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), warning it could threaten fair hearings and judicial independence. Instead, it recommends addressing delays by improving Home Office decisions, tribunal efficiency, and legal aid funding. The Society also criticised the rushed consultation, cautioning that hurried reforms may repeat or create further issues. To view the full report, visit here
Case Law
MR (Pakistan) v SSHD [2026] EWCA Civ 473
The Court of Appeal confirmed that a First-tier Tribunal judge was wrong to allow an asylum appeal just because the Home Office Presenting Officer had not directly put to the appellant that he was not gay or not in a genuine relationship. The Court explained that cross-examination is not always necessary where the refusal letter and review have already made the disputed issues clear. In a Devaseelan case, the Home Office only needs to show that new evidence is not enough to displace earlier findings; it does not need to accuse the appellant of lying. A HOPO’s questioning cannot be treated as a concession unless one is expressly made, and the Tribunal must still weigh all the evidence in the round. For full decision, visit here
Home Office Policy and Guidance Updates
Guidance: Ex-gratia payments has been updated on 22nd April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors -workers has been updated on 22nd April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors – students has been updated on 22nd April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme has been updated on 21st April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme has been updated on 21st April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Endorsing bodies: Innovator Founder and Scale-up visas has been updated on 20th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Open call for evidence Asylum: new Independent Appeals Body has been updated on 20th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Ask the Home Office to check your immigration status is correct has been updated on 20th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: Administrative review: caseworker guidance has been updated on 20th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance: India: tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 20th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Caseworker Guidance: Facial image search requests has been updated on 16th April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Guidance Afghanistan: country policy and information notes has been updated on 23rd April 2026. To view the full Guidance, please visit here
Written by Shareen Khan – Legal Content Writer, HJT Training
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.