Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #71

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!

The Home Affairs Select Committee will take evidence from the Home Secretary tomorrow and she will be questioned on the immigration white paper, among other topics. The committee will be far more difficult to stonewall than MPs’ written questions, and so there is a small hope that we will get a bit more clarity around what will happen and when, and who will be affected.

Now, it’s been a little while since I was a legal aid lawyer but I can’t think of a single one of my clients who would spend any time hanging out on gov.uk. Yet, the Ministry of Justice’s position is that posting this incredibly vague notice is the best that they can do to “reach as many potentially impacted individuals as possible” and that providers do not need to do anything to ensure that their clients and former clients are safe following the theft of their personal data. This does not seem a sustainable position, particularly given the potential nature of the information stolen.

Today is second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in the House of Lords. Last week UNHCR published an updated version of their briefing on the bill, addressing the amendments made by the government in the House of Commons since it was first published. The update includes concerns about the proposed expansion of the definition of “particularly serious crime”, used to exclude a person from refugee status.

On the blog, it is always enormously gratifying to see even those big brains in the Court of Appeal struggle to understand the immigration rules, and last week it was the usual suspect – Appendix EU. In today’s post, Jasmine does everyone a favour by setting out clearly and in one easily accessible place what people can and cannot do at Immigration Advice Authority Level 1 (IAA – please take note and do the same!).

Also last week, there was a reported decision from the Upper Tribunal on costs and the Migration Advisory Committee published their review into the use of immigration routes to recruit IT and engineering workers. We updated our briefings on applying for a creative work visa and applying as the child relative of a refugee.

Finally, Praxis have launched a new resource which is a very useful guide to help migrants access a variety of essential services, both before and after a grant of status. For everything else on Free Movement and elsewhere, read on.

Cheers, Sonia 

What we’re reading

‘My father came to the UK to find safety – but he died alone in an asylum hotel’ – Independent, 30 May

Repeated failings at migrant hotel where asylum seeker killed himself exposed – Independent, 30 May

Agency care staff ‘charged £10k for free work visas’ – BBC News, 28 May

Settle down: Why the big new issue in UK immigration policy goes all the way to the top of government, and where it might go from here – Social Market Foundation, 29 May

About Face: The Immigration White Paper and New Uses of Facial Recognition Technologies at UK Borders – ILPA blog, 28 May

No levy on international students in Scottish universities, say UK ministers – STV News, 27 May

The immigration white paper misjudges the public’s priorities – UK in a changing Europe, 27 May

Practices urged to recruit before ‘unhelpful’ migration rule changes – Vet Times, 28 May

Teacher training providers seek clarity over immigration reforms – Tes Magazine, 30 May

Immigration plans could be ‘ticking time bomb’ for Scottish construction – Fix Radio, 30 May

Carers stressed amid plans to tighten visa rules – BBC News, 30 May

Manston staff asked to work overtime amid record number of small boat arrivals – The Guardian, 1 June

I got British citizenship via the five-year route. Labour’s new 10-year rule will cause untold pain – The Guardian, 2 June