Immigration roundup podcast: October 2025

Our October round up is here! Barry does the honours this time around with the statement of changes and Sonia foreshadows some bad news potentially coming next week. Barry shares an AI horror story that is really one for the ages (so far) after Sonia’s segment on the latest lawyers to fall foul of AI hallucinated case citations. We also cover a new briefing on biometric excuses and predeterminations, sponsor licence enforcement, the rules around supplementary (not secondary) employment and new legislation in force on deprivation cases.

There are also loads of new cases, from a grandmother battling a 23 year old deportation order so that she can join her family in the UK, to some dodgy interviewing practices by the Home Office, unrepresented appellants and decisions on the papers, and Sonia and Barry do their usual scratching of heads over the Home Office’s decision to fight a fairly obvious case about an email all the way to the Court of Appeal. 

Reminder – if you want to book any of our upcoming training courses, you can ⁠find them all here⁠.

If you listen to podcasts on your mobile phone, you can subscribe for free on Spotify and iTunes. Using a mobile device and subscribing has the advantage that each new podcast can be automatically downloaded for listening to on the go. You can also sign up for notifications when a new episode is out.

To access previous Free Movement podcasts click here.

If you would like to count reading the material and listening to this podcast towards your continuing professional development requirements, then you can take our monthly update quiz. In order to access the quiz you do need to be signed up as a Free Movement member, you can do that here. There are over 40 subject-specific courses amounting to nearly 100 hours of training content available to members. You can find all of our available courses here. 

Statement of changes (02:00)

Date set for commencement of new student, graduate and work immigration rules

New suitability rules will apply to Appendix FM and other human rights applications

Visa requirement imposed on Botswana nationals to prevent asylum claims

Procedure (15:20)

Two more immigration lawyers facing potential disciplinary proceedings for misuse of AI

How to apply to come to the UK when you can’t travel safely to enrol your biometrics

Immigration enforcement interview at train station ruled procedurally unfair

Some appeals should still be listed for a hearing even where an unrepresented appellant has not asked for one

Court of Appeal finds it arguable that student did not receive Home Office email cancelling his leave

Work routes (27:18)

When is supplementary employment permitted and what are the rules?

Surge in sponsor licence enforcement: what immigration practitioners need to know  

Detention (30:50)

High Court clarifies the limits of electronic monitoring immigration bail powers

Human rights (31:45)

Grandmother to remain separated from her family after Home Secretary success in deportation case  

Successful challenge to certification of human rights claim for gay man

Nationality (34:20)

What does the new law on deprivation of British citizenship do?

Upper Tribunal gives guidance on children’s best interests in deprivation appeals

Updated (35:30)

Briefing: what is the Common Travel Area and how does it work?

Briefing: “Hamid” disciplinary hearings for immigration lawyers

What is the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration?

Briefing: what is the ‘right of abode’ in UK immigration and nationality law?

Age assessments: what happens when a child arrives in the UK?  How to apply for a UK expansion worker visa