Category Archives: General UK Immigration News

New Border Force Cutter the HMC Protector Launched

The latest addition to the Border Force’s fleet, HMC Protector, was officially launched this Monday (17th March) by Home secretary Theresa May at a ceremony at HMS President in London. She said: ‘We are an island and seafaring nation and HM cutters have a proud history of protecting our shores. ‘Today’s vessels include sophisticated surveillance and […]

The Single Market is Not a Swiss Cheese

“The single market is not a Swiss cheese. You cannot have a single market with holes in it.” said Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission,  when speaking to the FT An historic vote in the Swiss cantons is sending ripples of surprise throughout the EU. Switzerland is not part of the EU but it has […]

The Brightest and The Best | The UK Needs You

Business leaders have repeatedly warned of a serious shortage of British graduates qualified to fill key engineering jobs, a position justified by a report authored by Prof. John Perkins and published by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in November 2013. The dearth of skilled home grown graduates has led to migrants filling one fifth […]

EU Migration

On January 1st this year people from Romania and Bulgaria gained the same working rights as other European citizens in eight European countries, including the UK, Germany, Austria and France. This has fuelled a widespread perception in the UK that the floodgates would be opened to mass immigration, further pressurising the welfare state. It has […]

Pilot Plan for £3,000 Visa Bonds Scrapped

The pilot plan for the Home Office to introduce £3,000 visa bonds on visitors from countries in Africa and Asia has been scrapped according to a report published today in The Sunday Times. Nick Clegg threatened to block the policy and David Cameron backed off from a full-scale confrontation with the Liberal Democrat leader. The […]

Joint European Visas for Chinese Tourists a Possibility

At 8.59pm today the FT reported that Theresa May, home secretary, has bowed to pressure to streamline the process for Chinese tourists to Britain. As we are not part of the EU Schengen visa system this results in many high spending Chinese visitors bypassing our country. With their spend of $102bn on global travel in […]

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa | London Visa

Last Sunday evening the FT reported on the London mayor, Boris Johnson’s idea for a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa /“London Visa”. If adopted would make it easier for talented technologists from around the world to get jobs in tech start ups and fashion studios. The plan to provide City Hall with a yearly allocation […]

UK Eases Visa Rules – 1st October 2013

Last Friday, Mark Harper, the immigration minister, announced changes which generally ease visa rules from 1st October 2013. Some of the key changes are: Removal of the English language requirement for intra-company transferees. Tourists and business visitors are allowed to do some study where it is not the main purpose of their visit. Share ownership […]

UKBA Online Booking Service Closed on 18th July 2013 in UK

UKBA online service for booking appointments in the UK will be unavailable between 20:00 Thursday 18 July to 23:00 on Thursday 18 July 2013 while they do essential maintenance. This service is for applicants in the UK wishing to book an appointment for a premium application at one of the public enquiry offices, or to […]

Got non-EEA Dependents? Money & Not Love Will Conquer All

On 11 June 2012 the Government announced changes to the Immigration Rules for non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) nationals applying to enter or remain in the UK on the family migration route. The changes came into effect for new applicants from the 9th July 2012 and were a response to the pressure on the government to […]