Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #63

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!

As you read this I am either: in the US having a very lovely time on my holiday, in the US in immigration detention having a very bad time, or I have been bounced back into the UK (in which case I will obviously edit this bit out). Jokes aside, this is all to say that I am writing the newsletter a bit early this week, so the usual disclaimer applies if I have missed out something major that has happened since Wednesday.

The Public Accounts Committee has launched a call for evidence for their inquiry into skilled worker visas as, following on from the National Audit Office’s report from earlier this year, they prepare to take evidence from Home Office officials. The committee will be looking at the impact of the spring 2024 changes, progress in digital systems, and how the Home Office ensures compliance. The deadline is 24 April 2025.

Last week the Home Office published a report looking at the impact of the hostile environment (sorry but that name is sticking, no matter how much they try to make “compliant environment” happen). The report looks at the period 2021 to 2023 and found that it was difficult to say what role Home Office activity played in people’s decisions to regularise their status or leave the UK. A separate report published the same day looked at employer awareness of right to work checks.

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On the blog, we updated and republished our explainer on Electronic Travel Authorisations, as the scheme was rolled out to EU nationals. There were also quite a few Court of Appeal decisions, one looking at how appeals on humanitarian protection grounds work in revocation of refugee status cases and another where they were highly unimpressed with a poor First-tier Tribunal decision.

In another case the court rejected the appeal of a Somalian man on the basis that he had an internal relocation option available to him. We also finally have what I think is the first Court of Appeal decision looking at the “exceptional assurance” concessions put in place during the pandemic. More to come, no doubt.

We also had a reminder that the US is not the only country that takes harsh steps against tourists perceived to have breached the terms of their visas. The UK unlawfully detained a Brazilian woman for eight weeks late last year, after she was found “volunteering” at a hotel in exchange for food and free accommodation.

For everything else on Free Movement and elsewhere, read on.

Cheers, Sonia