News: Government Announcements

The Immigration Minister and French Interior Minister have visited Calais to see the work being done to tackle attempts to illegally cross the Channel.

EU citizens to receive settled status guidance from charities and NFP organisations who apply to become dedicated / specialist OISC immigration advisers.

OISC Prosecution

The Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s statement to Parliament about the UK’s future border and immigration system, after we leave the EU.

The Home Secretary announces a new route for skilled workers, strengthened border security and an end to free movement as part of a new immigration system.

Vulnerable women will be first to benefit from the pilot, which is part of the government’s response to Stephen Shaw’s latest review of immigration detention.

Since its inception in 2008 the ICIBI has published over 130 inspection reports and made more than 800 recommendations for improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the asylum, immigration, nationality and customs functions for which the Home Secretary is responsible. Over the years, ICIBI has made changes to its ways of working to improve […]

An internal review of the government’s policy on the use of DNA in immigration applications was commissioned in July 2018 and the report and findings were published today. Following the review, a taskforce and dedicated helpline have been set up so that anyone who feels that their immigration case may have been influenced by an […]

The next phase of the roll-out of the EU Settlement Scheme, which allows resident EU citizens and their family members to obtain their UK immigration status, has been confirmed in the Immigration Rules. This follows the successful first private pilot, involving 12 NHS Trusts and 3 universities in the North West of England, which had […]

The IHS allows anyone in the UK on a work, study or family visa for longer than 6 months to access NHS services in the same way as UK citizens. The proposals would see the surcharge increase from £200 to £400 per year for non-EU nationals, with students and those on the Youth Mobility Scheme […]

The Minister for Immigration, Caroline Nokes, has travelled to Nigeria to further strengthen the UK’s efforts to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery. This visit follows Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to the country last month, where she unveiled a range of support to cut illegal and unsafe migration into Europe from West Africa. Nigeria […]

On 30 July 2018, UK Visas and Immigration’s Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Freetown moved to a new premises. Customers making a new application should attend their appointment at the new VAC. Customers who have still to collect their application will now need to report to the new address. UK visa customers will continue to […]