News Update – 29 May 2026
This week’s developments give immigration advisers a clear view of a government seeking to show that its restoration of control agenda is now being reflected in visible enforcement, not just policy statements.
A clear example came at the start of last week, when Border Force officers and the National Crime Agency intercepted a yacht arriving in West Sussex. Seven Albanian nationals who had entered the UK unlawfully were found on board. Five men were arrested: two crew members, a 42-year-old British man and a 25-year-old Albanian man and three others suspected of waiting on shore to receive the boat. Three were later released on bail, while two Albanian nationals remain in detention for immigration offences. The NCA said it has more than 100 live investigations into organised immigration crime, highlighting the scale of the current enforcement effort.
That enforcement is being matched by speed in the courts. Following the bank holiday weekend, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that several people who had crossed the Channel had been charged within hours of evidence being received. This included three men, from Turkey, Algeria and Albania who have pleaded guilty at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court to arriving in the UK without entry clearance and were each sentenced to eight months in prison.
A further three, from Sudan and Iran, were charged with endangering the lives of others during the crossing, remanded in custody, and are due before Canterbury Crown Court in June. The prosecution of suspected boat pilots, in particular, signals a continued focus on those alleged to be steering the most dangerous journeys.
These prosecutions followed a notable surge in arrivals, with 989 people reaching the UK by small boat on the last bank holiday. Yet the swift detention and charging of those involved reflects the harder enforcement posture now in place.
The Government’s longer-term strategy was thrown into sharper relief by developments concerning the planned migrant detention centre near Dunkirk, which the UK has agreed to help fund as part of the £662m agreement signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Crucially, around £160m of that funding has been tied to demonstrable results for the first time, and the UK has confirmed that it will contribute only once the facility is operational.
The centre is intended to detain migrants intercepted on French beaches ahead of their removal, with an initial focus on nationals from the ten countries that account for the largest share of crossings. The facility represents tangible evidence that removals are being scaled up rather than merely discussed.
However, that plan is not without obstacles. A French environmental group has mounted a legal challenge to the centre’s building permit, arguing that its location in an industrial zone breaches local planning rules and poses health and safety risks. While the appeal is not suspensive and construction continues, French legal experts suggest it is more likely to delay the project than to halt it altogether; a reminder that cross-border removal arrangements remain vulnerable to litigation.
Set against this tougher enforcement, a separate case is reported regarding Home Office compliance duties. A 63-year-old British citizen, naturalised in 1979, has described losing his job after his employer wrongly subjected him to a right to work check and an Employers Checking Service referral that did not apply to his status, compounded by clerical errors that recorded his place and date of birth incorrectly.
He says the mistakes left him classed as an illegal worker, unable to find new employment or claim support. Right to work checks remain an essential safeguard, but this case is a stark reminder that they carry real consequences when carried out incorrectly, and that accuracy and proper application matter as much as the checks themselves.
Finally, the immigration practice is yet again under scrutiny. Last month, BBC News conducted an undercover investigation alleging that certain legal advisers were charging migrants thousands of pounds to fabricate immigration claims, including false allegations of sexuality and domestic abuse, and the full footage of that sting operation has now been released.
The revelations should sharpen the caution exercised by every adviser, serving as a pointed reminder of the obligation to remain fully compliant with the codes of standards maintained by their regulators. Advisers should also anticipate a more rigorous supervisory environment, with regulatory bodies such as the Immigration Advice Authority expected to step up their checks, including on the fulfilment of continuing professional development requirements.
With removals and refusals rising in the current climate, a corresponding increase in appeals is inevitable and HJT Training’s upcoming in-person conference Preparing and Presenting the Perfect Appeal could not be better timed. Scheduled for 1st July at a Central London venue, the session is led by Julian Phillips, former head of First-tier Tribunal immigration judicial training, alongside Mark Symes and appellate expert David Jones, the course offers court-tested guidance from experts themselves on structuring grounds of appeal, building a focused case theory, preparing compliant bundles and getting oral hearings right.
With tribunals managing cases more strictly than ever, it is an invaluable opportunity to ensure your next appeal is prepared to the standards now expected. For bookings, visit HERE
For assistance with booking or enquiries, contact enquiries@hjt-training.co.uk or 075 4416 4692.
For the full list of updates on media news BELOW
News
The Immigration Fraudsters- BBC News
Last month, BBC News carried out an undercover investigation alleging that legal advisers were charging migrants thousands of pounds to fabricate immigration claims, including false sexuality and domestic abuse allegations. The full video of the sting operation has now been released and can be viewed here
Five arrested after yacht carrying migrants intercepted in West Sussex – National Crime Agency
Five men have been arrested after a yacht carrying seven people to the UK illegally was intercepted off the south coast of England. All five were questioned by NCA investigators following their arrest. Three were later bailed pending further enquiries, while the two others, the Albanian nationals aged 25 and 32, remain in detention for immigration offences. To read the full article, visit here
Legal bid to block UK-backed French migrant detention centre -BBC News
A new French migrant detention centre the UK has offered to help fund is facing a legal challenge that could hamper a £660m deal to tackle illegal crossings of the English Channel. The lawsuit could delay the opening of the centre, which the UK has only agreed to contribute money towards once the facility near Dunkirk has opened. To read the full article, visit here
Immigration officers more likely than social workers to assess UK asylum seekers as adults – The Guardian
Young asylum seekers in the UK are more than twice as likely to be assessed as adults by immigration officers as by social workers, according to Home Office data. To read the full article, visit here
How the ‘Boriswave’ of 4.2m migrants will shape Britain for generations- The Telegraph
Following a post-Brexit surge in immigration, new figures reveal the long-term fiscal and social cost of low-skilled arrivals. To read the full article, visit here
Migrants jailed and charged after bank holiday crossings – BBC News
A number of migrants who crossed the English Channel over the bank holiday weekend have been charged with illegal immigration offences, with some jailed. To read the full article, visit here
UK’s higher-earning immigrants may be driven out by tougher rules, report suggests – The Guardian
Higher-earning immigrants are less likely to remain in the UK long-term and could be further deterred from staying by the government’s planned crackdown on settlement rights, analysis has revealed. A report from the Migration Advisory Committee’s, Who Stays, Who Leaves? follows about 900,000 journeys between 2014 and 2024. To read the full article, visit here
Man sacked over right to work check error – BBC News
A British citizen who was born in Mauritius has said a mistake by his former employer has cost him his job and the right to work anywhere else. Michael Cunsamy claims his former employer Ocado made a number of errors by subjecting him to a right to work check which did not apply to him. To read the full article, visit here
Case Law
Secretary of State for the Home Department v Jimoh (R, on the application of) [2026] EWCA Civ 643
The applicant, a Nigerian national with serious long-term medical conditions, was refused ILR under the transitional Discretionary Leave policy because of a 2006 drugs conviction, despite having held Discretionary Leave for over 14 years. The High Court held that reliance on the historic conviction was unlawful, that insufficient weight had been given to his medical vulnerability and his child’s best interests, quashed the decision, and ordered that ILR be granted. For full decision, visit here
Secretary of State for the Home Department v OSB [2026] EWCA Civ 647
The Court of Appeal held that an Article 3 medical claim will only succeed if removal would cause a serious and irreversible decline in health leading to intense suffering or a significant reduction in life expectancy, as set out in AM (Zimbabwe). It found the First-tier Tribunal’s decision flawed because it did not address this test and ruled that the suggested chain of events after removal was too remote and speculative to engage Article 3. For full decision, visit here
Home Office Guidance and Policy Updates
Guidance Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 27th May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Guidance Register of licensed sponsor workers: has been updated on 27th May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Transparency data: Small boat arrivals: last 7 days has been updated on 27th May 2026. To view the updated information, visit here
Guidance: Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) has been updated on 26th May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Caseworker Guidance: Offender management has been updated on 22nd May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Guidance: Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme has been updated on 22nd May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Guidance Nepal: country policy and information notes has been updated on 21st May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Collection Migrant Journey has been updated on 21st May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
Guidance Migrant journey: user guide has been updated on 21st May 2026. To view the updated Guidance, visit here
By Shareen Khan, Content Writer