Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #92

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! 

The Home Secretary was at it again last week, writing in The Sun and making fact free assertions about “ridiculous legal challenges” and “abuse of modern slavery laws”. Notably, on the latter she said that she has “already taken action”. This may mean that nothing further beyond the recent change to the modern slavery guidance is planned, for now at least.

Maybe she was feeling a little left out, after a week where the opposition received a lot of attention after people finally noticed a draft Bill, unlikely to go anywhere, put forward by the Shadow Home Secretary in May which proposes the removal of indefinite leave to remain from a large cohort of people in various circumstances, including where their annual salary falls under £38,700 or where the person accesses social protections including pensions and child benefit. 

It was no doubt difficult for the government to frame their response, given the proposals in the immigration white paper and changes that have already been made to the skilled worker route that will prevent people who had every expectation when they moved to the UK that they were on a five year path to indefinite leave to remain, from ever being able to access it. A distinction, certainly, but a fine one in my view and no doubt also in the minds of those affected by these changes. 

On Free Movement, today we have a detailed explainer on how to come to the UK without enrolling biometrics in advance, where it would be dangerous to do so. Another explainer looks at supplementary employment, an area which has seen a few judgments recently where people have had their leave cancelled for breaching the rules. There is also a write up of a High Court decision on immigration bail powers where a person has electronic monitoring conditions. 

I did feel a bit bad when I saw a statement of changes came out while I was away (then I had a piña colada on the beach and that feeling went away), but luckily we have authors like Alex Piletska who stepped up with this excellent explainer of the changes to the suitability rules.

Finally, in the context of last week’s report in The Times on the fear among immigration judges in the UK at the moment, after they have been targeted by the right wing press as well as politicians for most of this year, I would recommend this podcast on what is happening with immigration judges in the US. 

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

Cheers, Sonia

What we’re reading

Refugee misses chance to apply to bring family to the UK by 13 minutes after visa route closes – Independent, 25 October

Windrush commissioner: Black Britons asking if UK is ‘going backwards’ – The Guardian, 26 October

At Gail’s, what is the human cost behind a £5 loaf of bread? – Vittles, 20 October

The cost of a visa for a researcher moving to the UK is 22 times that of international average – Chemistry World, 24 October

Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker still fears for life – BBC News, 24 October

France backing away from pledge to intercept migrant boats, sources tell BBC – BBC News, 23 October

Universities warn Starmer: Evacuate Gaza scholarship students now or they will lose their place – Independent, 22 October

Man sent to France under ‘one in, one out’ scheme returns to UK on small boat – The Guardian, 22 October

Analysis of Home Office Change of Conditions Data – Q2 2025 – The Unity Project, 22 October