Immigration roundup podcast: December 2025

That’s officially a wrap on 2025, as Sonia and Barry run through December’s various happenings, including the final statement of changes for the year and our latest resources on the earned settlement proposals. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act is now in force and the latest tribunal statistics show that the Home Office’s insistence on filling the appeals system with challenges to poor quality decisions remains a huge problem.

Sonia talks us through the resumption of processing of settlement protection applications from Syrian nationals. There were also lots of case updates as usual, including a particularly egregious one covered by Barry where the Home Office left a man street homeless in Turkey for months. We finished up with a reminder about the important of awareness about vicarious trauma, and an update on some changes at Free Movement along with a new vacancy.

Reminder – if you want to book any of our upcoming training courses, you can ⁠find them all here⁠.

If you listen to podcasts on your mobile phone, you can subscribe for free on Spotify and iTunes. Using a mobile device and subscribing has the advantage that each new podcast can be automatically downloaded for listening to on the go. You can also sign up for notifications when a new episode is out.

To access previous Free Movement podcasts click here.

If you would like to count reading the material and listening to this podcast towards your continuing professional development requirements, then you can take our monthly update quiz. In order to access the quiz you do need to be signed up as a Free Movement member, you can do that here. There are over 40 subject-specific courses amounting to nearly 100 hours of training content available to members. You can find all of our available courses here. 

The 48 minute podcast follows the running order below:

Statement of changes (01:45)

Visit visa requirement imposed on Nauru because of “Citizenship by Investment” scheme

Earned settlement (07:20)

Briefing: the implications of the “earned settlement” proposals and what they might mean in practice

Asylum (08:23)

Home Office recommences processing of Syrian settlement applications

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 is in force – what has changed?

Court of Appeal upholds right to appeal in asylum support cases where Home Office withdraws claim

First-tier Tribunal appeal receipts up 123% in a year, amid continuing concerns about Home Office decision making

Citizenship (15:35)

Home Office must consider whether to exercise discretion in Windrush cases

Students (19:15)

Court declares University’s failure to rescind its withdrawal of sponsorship as unlawful

Detention (23:20)

High Court finds safeguarding failures by Home Office at Brook House detention centre

Emergency travel document delays lead to detention challenge

Deportation (25:55)

Home Secretary ordered to allow man to return to UK after telling airline not to fly him and cancelling his eVisa

Court orders grant of indefinite leave in case with historic conviction

EU Settlement Scheme (34:22)

Court of Appeal denies derivative rights of residence to the children in education of former self-employed EU citizens

Work routes (36:40)

High Court clarifies meaning of “non-genuine vacancy” in sponsor licence revocation

Family (38:00)

Does ‘could’ mean a ‘mere possibility’? Court of Appeal looks at exceptional circumstances and financial requirements under Appendix FM

Well-being (43:45)

Vicarious trauma: what practitioners need to know

Updated (45:55)

Suitability refusals: owing a litigation debt to the Home Office

Will I need Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK?

What is the immigration skills charge?

What safe and legal routes are available for refugees to come to the United Kingdom?

Blog news (46:25)

New Editor at Free Movement