Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #32

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!

Over the weekend, another two people have died trying to cross the Channel from France to the UK. A family whose eldest daughter died in the attempt a couple of weeks ago explain why they will continue to try to make the crossing. Still nothing from the government on opening up or expanding any alternatives.

Last week the Supreme Court rejected Shamima Begum’s application for permission to appeal and her lawyers have confirmed that they intend to apply to the European Court of Human Rights. We wrote up the Court of Appeal’s decision in February this year.

Also last week, the Home Secretary wrote to the Migration Advisory Committee asking them to carry out a review of the IT and engineering sectors “to understand the reasons behind their reliance on international recruitment”.

The Home Office has set up a page detailing the various visa application centre locations (including in the UK) that will have a change of provider between September this year and January 2025.

On Free Movement, we have updated our introductory course on advising employers on right to work checks. We have also added our newest webinar which is on the effective use of medical evidence and is presented by two experts from the Helen Bamber Foundation. There are only a few places left in our next OISC level 1 live training course starting on 2 September so if you have been considering booking best to do it now.

Today’s post is a write up of an interesting decision from the General Regulatory Chamber (no, really). It is a successful appeal by Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID) in relation to a freedom of information request on emergency travel documents. I was joined by Barry O’Leary in this month’s podcast and he gave a shout out in there to anyone who manages to find the time to pursue these requests, so a huge well done to BID on this case. 

On the day we recorded the podcast, the Home Office announced that all biometric residence permit holders could now apply for an eVisa, so some of our comments on that were immediately out of date (but the rest still hold). After hearing that Brian Dikoff had successfully navigated the process I asked him to write up his experience for us, so we now have a very useful step by step guide to applying for an eVisa. 

For everything else on the blog and elsewhere, read on.

Cheers, Sonia

What we’re reading

Government saves three times what it spends on early legal advice, finds new report – Bar Council, 5 August

This time it’s worse – London Review of Books, 6 August

Community resources – HOPE not hate, August

UK immigration: why public opinion is at odds with reality – Financial Times, 9 August

Number applying to work or study in UK falls by more than a third – The Guardian, 9 August

Judges have refused to save Shamima Begum. Labour should bring her back to the UK to face justice – The Guardian, 8 August

‘I don’t live, I just exist’: Ukrainian families torn apart by visa changes – BBC News, 12 August

What do asylum seekers and refugees make of the eruption of far-right violence in the UK? We asked them – The Guardian, 9 August

Homeless Link and NACCOM share new migrant homelessness briefing – Homeless Link, 1 August

Asylum system is completely broken, campaigners say, as number of refugees facing homelessness soars – Big Issue, 9 August