Blog

The population of the UK is currently about 70 million and increasing, but the increase is largely due to immigration.  At some historical points the...Read More

Indian student and dependant succeed at the High Court This case is about Mrs Manpreet Kaur and her husband Manpreet Singh, who are an Indian...Read More

A recent case in the Upper Immigration Tribunal called “Ganeshamoorthy” summarised the law and created new caselaw on some important issues. Mr Ganeshamoorthy is a...Read More

An overstayer is a migrant whose leave has expired but who is still in the UK. Such a person is on the wrong side of...Read More

It would be fair to say that there have been over time a lot of changes in the Skilled Worker route and its predecessor route...Read More

The £29,000 rule for sponsors probably not increasing You may remember that some while ago, in 2024, the minimum earnings requirement for sponsors under Appendix...Read More

The basic rules for switching from Pre-Settled Status to Settled Status under the EUSS were that the applicant must have spent five years on Pre-Settled...Read More

In recent months the High Court has made a few judgements that have been helpful to migrants, and a consistent theme has emerged. When the...Read More

Last month we reported on the Government’s ideas or plans about asylum hubs (“Asylum-seekers and return hubs”, 29th April). Things have moved on since then...Read More

The IAA (Immigration Advice Authority), formerly the OISC, often reminds us that an important part of its function is to protect the public from poor...Read More

You may be familiar with the previous Government’s Rwanda asylum scheme, whereby asylum-seekers who arrived in the UK would be sent to Rwanda and their...Read More

We recently told you about the case of Ms Ancy Andrews (“Care worker detained and removed for illegal working”, 28 February) and also about the...Read More

In our fairly recent vlog and blog (28 February, “Care Worker Removed”) we told you about the sad case of Ms Ancy Andrews, an Indian...Read More

They say that what goes up must come down, but this does not seem entirely reliable, not with Home Office immigration fees at any rate....Read More

Back in the old days – before 1 January 1983 to be exact – if you were born in the UK you were almost certainly...Read More

We have been reading a lot recently about how the Labour Government is being tough on migrants who are or who are deemed to be...Read More

The previous Conservative Government introduced some very draconian laws in its Illegal Migration Act 2023, which imposed severe penalties on asylum-seekers who came to the...Read More

In our blog of 14 January, we discussed cancellation/revocation of visas or settlement status. This time we are discussing the revocation of British citizenship. As...Read More

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is – or more accurately was – the organisation that regulates immigration services firms such as us. ...Read More

Well, it can, but the Home Office would have to give a good reason, or at least what they think is a good reason.  They...Read More

As we have informed you more than once, hard-copy immigration documents like BRPs and vignettes are supposed to be dead and buried by 31 December...Read More

Back in November 2022 we informed you that Columbian nationals had been given non-visa national status. In other words, they were now able to come...Read More

The Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme – update Sometime last year we warned you that the electronic travel authorisation scheme (ETA) – under which non-visa nationals...Read More

You may sometimes read in the media about somebody being “deported” from the UK – ie being expelled from the country. The media does not...Read More

Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show that net migration into the UK has fallen significantly in the past few months. This is...Read More

If your visa application is refused (for example a family or long residence visa) you may have the right to appeal before the First-Tier Immigration...Read More

Home Offices statistics tell us that 5.7 million people have taken advantage of the EU Settlement Scheme and hold either Settled Status or Pre-Settled Status....Read More

Earlier this month the £29,000 income requirement for sponsors under Appendix FM (family members) came into effect. The basic rule is now that qualifying sponsors...Read More

We have already warned readers about significant forthcoming changes in the immigration rules in April 2024, specifically a large increase in the minimum salaries for...Read More

Some will no doubt be pleased to learn that the Home Office has changed its definition of an unmarried partner. Previously an unmarried partner was...Read More

As we have already informed readers, the Immigration Health Surcharge is going to increase substantially on 6 February 2024.  We can now inform you that...Read More

Readers may be aware of the ten-year long residence route to settlement. Briefly and basically, if a migrant has ten years’ continuous immigration leave (typically...Read More

As we informed you a while ago in our blog, the Government has made the decision to substantially increase the Immigration Health Surcharge, by 66%,...Read More

Last month we informed you (“Forthcoming drastic changes to the immigration rules”, 14th December) that from January 2024 there would be new, more restrictive, immigration...Read More

Last month we reported on forthcoming drastic changes to the immigration rules, including a particularly drastic increase in the minimum salary requirements for those settled...Read More

One of the arguments in the long-running Brexit debate was that by being in the EU the UK had lost control of its borders: it...Read More

The Home Office has finally consolidated the immigration rules about “returning residents”, ie migrants who previously held settlement but who have lost it because of...Read More

The Home Office has made a subtle change to the rules about overstaying which is advantageous for some migrants. This change relates to the situation...Read More

In our blog in November last year we gave you the good news for some that nationals of Columbia, Guyana and Peru had acquired non-visa...Read More

The Home Office has announced a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme for visitors to the UK, which will start to come into effect later...Read More

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 has introduced a few changes in the law and rules about acquisition of British citizenship.  Some of the changes...Read More

In 2019 the Start-Up and Innovator visa schemes were created for those who wanted to set up new businesses in the UK. These two routes...Read More

In an interesting and significant judgement in the case of “Independent Monitoring Authority v Home Secretary” the High Court has ruled that one of the...Read More

It is often truly said that Britain’s imperial history has produced a highly complex scheme of British nationality. It comes in different “grades”, of which...Read More

There is good news for South America from the Home Office: from 9 November 2022 nationals of Columbia, Guyana and Peru will be non-visa nationals....Read More

Because of the war in Ukraine, and the consequent high demand for visas from Ukrainians, expedited visa and settlement application schemes have been temporarily limited...Read More

Until very recently there was a slightly complicated scheme whereby certain nationalities on certain types of visa had to register with the police when they...Read More

We recently reported about changes in asylum claims and procedure (“Asylum and Humanitarian Protection – big changes”, 11 August). And, on this subject, you may...Read More

We have very recently experienced significant and important changes in the law as it relates to asylum and Humanitarian Protection.  The Nationality and Borders Act...Read More

At GSN Immigration we sometimes find it necessary to deal with the intricacies of developing case law in the Upper Immigration Tribunal. The recent judicial...Read More

Immigration practitioners often talk about CSI but this is nothing to do with Crime Scene Investigation and Las Vegas (well, not in most cases anyway);...Read More

A lot of people spend time money and effort in acquiring British citizenship but some people in some circumstances want to renounce their British citizenship....Read More

We would like to announce the sad news that the Tier 1 (Investor) route is now closed to new entrants. Those who already hold visas...Read More

In some cases a migrant who holds immigration leave to remain in the UK can “switch” their visa to a different kind of visa without...Read More

Until a while ago there was a visa called Representative of an Overseas Newspaper, News Agency or Broadcasting Organisation, but this visa category has now...Read More

If the question were posed “What work visas can EEA nationals now apply for?”, the initial answer is simple: the same visas as everybody else...Read More

This subject got into the news recently because of some proposed provisions in the Nationality and Borders Bill currently going through Parliament which would make...Read More

The Youth Mobility Scheme is a scheme that enables young people (aged 18 to 30) from certain countries or territories or of certain British nationalities...Read More

Migrants in the UK in various situations can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also known as settlement. ILR confers the right to live...Read More

Under the immigration rules a foreign migrant can apply for leave to come to the UK or to remain in the UK on the basis...Read More

As we have previously said in this blog, if you are in the UK with immigration leave and you want to extend or switch your...Read More

A visa for a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner may be granted either from outside the UK or within the UK, and it is...Read More

Asylum/Humanitarian Protection/right to work We often read articles in the media about “asylum-seekers”, migrants “claiming asylum” and “refugees”. A lot of the cases that dominate...Read More

“Indefinite leave to remain” sounds as though it is, well, indefinite, but it is not necessarily. A person who holds indefinite leave to remain or...Read More

In our previous article “Skilled Worker and Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence” (23 August) we provided a brief overview of the subject. In this article we...Read More

Many years ago, back in the mists of time, there was the “Work Permit” visa. Then a few years ago came the “Tier 2 Skilled...Read More

It quite frequently happens these days that the Home Office comes up with yet another visa route for entrepreneurs and highly-skilled/highly-qualified people. Now another one...Read More

Maybe you know the story. There is a family with young children who were born in the UK. They are all overstayers. But then the...Read More

The Covid-19 pandemic has, for obvious reasons, disrupted UK immigration very considerably. When the pandemic started migrants who were in the UK were in many...Read More

30 June 2021 was supposedly the deadline for Pre-Settled/Settled status applications for EEA nationals and their family members.  But, like everything else to do with...Read More

Finally it has arrived – the new “Graduate” visa, which looks something like the old Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa but with a few improvements....Read More

It is often said (and indeed with great force of truth) that UK immigration law is complicated. But sometimes connected or associated legal issues can...Read More

Brexit is done, more or less, and the UK is no longer part of the EU. In the immigration field there are various transitional arrangements...Read More

Many readers will know about the financial requirement for partner visas, and especially those who have read our blog “Financial requirements for Family Visas”, 12...Read More

There have been in the last few months no less than three decisions from the courts/tribunals about the ten-year continuous lawful residence route to settlement...Read More

If the relationship between a qualifying person settled in the UK and a migrant breaks down then, legally speaking, the visa that the migrant holds...Read More

“Unmarried partner relationship” has a specific meaning in UK immigration law: a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership where the parties have not actually...Read More

Visa application for partner and sponsor’s stepchild A partner (spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner) can apply for a visa to join their sponsor in...Read More

In every case an applicant applying for a family visa – in most instances a partner or child – will have to satisfy a financial...Read More

In recent times there has been some confusing case law about the ten-year continuous lawful residence route to settlement and short periods of overstaying (see...Read More

As we explained in our previous article (“Immigration Fee Waiver”, 24 December 2020), in-country visa applicants are able to apply for a fee waiver if...Read More

The Ankara Agreement (more formally known as the European Community Association Agreement), an agreement made between the EU and Turkey, provided UK visa routes for...Read More

Two cases heard in recent times – the case of “Pathan” in the Supreme Court and the case of “Taj” in the Court of Appeal...Read More

The IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) is an extra fee that many migrants have to pay as part of their visa application fees. Whereas the application...Read More