In AB and NB v Secretary of State for the Home Department (PA/07865/20119), the First-tier Tribunal found that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was unable to provide “protection and assistance” to a severely disabled Palestinian child living in Lebanon. As a direct consequence of that he was...
The government has published the new application fees previously announced earlier this year. The statement describes the increase as being made “to pay for vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises”. The explanatory memorandum provides a bit more detail: “an increase of 15-20%...
The most recent Border Force People Survey reveals “a dissatisfied workforce which is a breeding ground for insider risk to grow and become insider acts, enabled by privileged access”. That is according to a new report from the Independent Chief Inspector for Borders and Immigration that looks at how internal...
Criminal convictions and other signs of poor character can, unsurprisingly, negatively affect applications for leave to enter or remain in the UK. Those caught out by these rules over the years include former boxer Mike Tyson, Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Tyler, the Creator and perhaps OJ Simpson. By...
In what seems to be a prelude to the introduction of the use of ionising radiation (x-rays) for non-medical reasons on children, the government has published the Justification Decision (Scientific Age Imaging) Regulations 2023. There is also a draft explanatory memorandum containing a statement by the Secretary of State for...
Rishi Sunak’s visit to Delhi for the G20 has prompted more reporting on the UK India free trade agreement, where negotiations have apparently been slowed down by Indian requests for more visas. I worked for the Home Office between 2003 and 2011 and as an Assistant Director covered policy relating...
The Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) has written to practitioners to advise of new standard directions for represented parties. These apply to appeals and will be issued from 25 September 2023 where the parties are represented. The main change is that the new directions require the appellant to the...
The Secretary of State will reduce judicial oversight of detention and increase her detention powers when more of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 comes into force on 28 September 2023. Those and other changes set out in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2023, published last night,...
The government was granted permission to appeal in the Rwanda litigation in July. This post provides an update on the current state of play ahead of the Supreme Court hearing. You can read Free Movement’s coverage of the Court of Appeal’s judgment here and here. In essence, the Court of...
Who are you? What do you want? To find out, we are running another reader survey. Long-time followers of Free Movement may remember that we’ve done this several times in the past. More specifically, in 2013, 2016 (online and email), 2018 and 2020. We’ve taken action on the back of...
Immigration Case Worker Edinburgh Full Time Welcome to a very different kind of law firm. One that recognises its success is down to its people. Where you can relax and be yourself. Be inspired by your talented work colleagues. Where you’ll feel part of a dynamic team. Where, right from...
We are a bit behind the times this month, catching up from the summer. This time Sonia and I cover not one but two statements of changes, the Illegal Migration Act, asylum withdrawals, the massive increase in fees, several legal updates on the rights of EU citizens and a load...
If you are involved in undertaking judicial review litigation, you’ll want to know that the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide 2023 as been published. Miraculously, it is dated October 2023, so you really can get ahead of the curve on this one. Why should you read it? It covers all...
A new statement of changes has been published along with the explanatory memorandum and a written statement from the immigration minister. The biggest change is the removal of administrative review from decisions made under the EU Settlement Scheme. Many of the changes are minor technical or drafting changes. It is...
This post is intended for refugees (including those with humanitarian protection), their families and their friends trying to understand the rules on refugee family reunion. The requirements to be met are fairly straightforward and simple for children and partners who existed at the time the refugee fled their country of origin. These...
With the number of asylum claims on the rise across Europe and around the world, the discussion on safe routes for people seeking asylum is not unique to the UK. I thought it would useful to look at what processes other countries have in place for receiving refugees aside from...
The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), which regulates immigration advisers who are not practicing solicitors, barristers or Chartered Legal Executives, is consulting on a new code of standards. The OISC was brought into being by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 at the same time that a new criminal...
The role Kids in Need of Defense UK (KIND UK) is a collaboration between four award-winning, UK based not for profits that specialise in children’s immigration and asylum law. We partner with lawyers and law firms across the UK to provide the highest quality legal advice and representation for free...
Organisation Description Persian Advice Bureau is a registered charity assisting Asylum Seekers and Refugees since 2015. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality results and are looking for committed and highly driven candidates. Job Overview An opportunity has arisen for a Level 2 IAAS Immigration Senior Caseworker with Supervisor...
The Home Office is reported to have reduced the notice period a successful asylum seeker is given to leave their asylum accommodation once they have been granted refugee status. It was 28 days and now it is reported to be just 7 days. If so, this just isn’t enough time for...
Adult dependent relative visas have one of the highest refusal rates of all immigration routes. Between 2017 and 2020, 96% of applications were refused. In this article I look at why these applications often go wrong and what you can do to try make them go right. This is not...
Immigration Advisor OISC 2 Based: Luton / hybrid Salary: £18,600 pro rata (£31,000 FTE) Hours: 22.5 hours per week Fixed term until 31-03-24 We are recruiting a part-time Immigration Advisor to deliver complex case work across our operational footprint which includes the east of England. You will have experience of...
About us: The Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL) is one of the largest immigration and asylum advice charities in the UK, supporting refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants to access justice. An OISC level 3 accredited organisation, we represent clients at all stages of the immigration...
The UK Expansion Worker visa is part of the Global Business Mobility route. It enables overseas businesses seeking to expand into the UK to temporarily assign senior managers and specialist employees, including business owners, to the UK to establish a British operation. Opening on 11 April 2022, it replaced the...
Today is the latest publication of quarterly statistics on various parts of the immigration and asylum system, covering the period April to June 2023. The Home Office summary page is here but in my view their summaries should be used with some caution depending on what you are looking for....
We’re Hiring! This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious immigration solicitor to join a dynamic and fast-growing law firm. Eversage Associates Limited (Eversage) is a modern law firm specialising in UK-bound immigration. We work on a wide range of immigration applications, with a particular focus on corporate work. Our...
UNHCR has published their final ‘Evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service’s Alternative to detention pilot’ which concludes that using detention for the 84 people in the scheme would have cost at least two thirds more than helping them outside of detention. The pilot ran from June 2020 to...
Following the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan earlier this year the UK government evacuated thousands of people. This included a number of Sudanese nationals, some of whom were single parents accompanying their British children. What their current entitlements and next steps are is unclear. There is no published...
A new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research looks at what the state of the asylum system will be for the next government. This includes consideration of various scenarios, including whether the government wins the Rwanda litigation and whether more of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 is brought...
The latest trafficking statistics show a huge increase in both refusals and delays, suggesting the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 had had a disastrous impact on the protection of survivors of modern slavery. Most of the trafficking provisions of the legislation came into effect on 30 January 2023. Changes were...
The Independent Monitoring Board has explicitly connected the Rwanda agreement with an increased risk of detainees self-harming in its latest report. The ‘Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre’ for 2022 covers the Colnbrook and Harmondsworth centres. The usual themes of these reports are there,...
…some parts of the rules relating to the EU Settlement Scheme are so difficult to comprehend that it is at least arguable that they lack the clarity of law. An aspect of the definition of a ‘durable partner’ contained in Annex 1 of Appendix EU (definitions) is one such example. ...
Summary of the role We are a market-leading niche immigration law firm based in Nottingham City Centre, and we are looking for a IAAS Senior Caseworker with responsibility for an active and complex asylum caseload involving all aspects of asylum work including unaccompanied minors, adult asylum claims, fresh claims, extension...
Bill Gates once said that your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. If the same applies to the Home Office staff who have the unenviable job of fielding complaints about their colleagues from irate migrants and their lawyers, their enlightenment must rival that of any Renaissance polymath....
Excellent, forensic and damning statement from ILPA about attacks on immigration lawyers over the last few years. It’s appalling this all needs to be said. An independent legal profession is fundamental to ensuring access to justice, equality before the law, and the proper functioning of a democracy. This is an...
A claimant wrongly given a deportation order couldn’t benefit from the Windrush Compensation Scheme because his indefinite leave to remain had already lapsed, the High Court has held in R (on the application of Thompson) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 2037 (Admin). The compensation scheme...
JOB TITLE: Senior Immigration Caseworker (Statelessness) LOCATION: Asylum Aid Office (London) RESPONSIBLE TO: Statelessness Project Supervisor CONTRACT: Permanent, part-time (22.5 hours per week) (possibility of up to full time – 37.5 hours per week) SALARY: £34,000 p.a. (pro rata) BENEFITS: 27 days holiday (pro rata) plus 4% matched pension contribution...
