The February podcast is here! We kick off with Sonia briefly summarising the recently published statistics for 2024. There was then a lot to cover on asylum with several case updates and of course the recent Home Office changes to the good character requirements. Barry was thrilled to be able to discuss his favourite section of the British Nationality Act 1981 as well as getting to cover Alex Piletska’s “highly entertaining” housesitting piece. All that and much more!

General immigration (01:00)

Health and care worker visas and asylum grant rates both plummeted in 2024 according to latest statistics

Asylum (03:15)

High Court upholds award of £98,757 damages to refugee

Home Secretary’s decision on national security is sufficient to revoke refugee status

Upper Tribunal dismisses judicial review in case of parents seeking to reunite with young children 

High Court provides guidance on interaction between Schedule 10 accommodation and Care Act duties

Who is eligible and how to apply to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme?

Challenge to refusal to relocate Diego Garcia refugee to the UK dismissed by High Court

Good character guidance amended to block refugees from naturalisation

British citizenship (20:45)

High Court considers new provisions for registration as a British citizen in special circumstances

Court of Appeal returns deprivation appeal to the Upper Tribunal

EU Settlement Scheme (27:25)

Frequently asked questions: family member applications to the EU Settlement Scheme

Work routes (28:15)

A guide to civil penalties for illegal working

Procedure (29:40)

The Home Office is creating unnecessary additional work and delays in change of conditions applications

Litigant in person to pay thousands in costs after falling foul of procedural rules

Visitors (34:40)

Housesitters and holiday swappers: what are the immigration law implications?

Updates (39:20)

What is the no recourse to public funds condition?

Government Authorised Exchange: one visa, over 30 options

General grounds for refusal: contriving to frustrate the intention of the rules

Visas for children under Appendix FM of the immigration rules

What is a Scale-up visa and how does it work?

Sonia and Barry are back already to celebrate the end of January! There is a brief look back at 2024 and look forward to 2025 which of course now includes the new Bill (seriously what are we calling this thing for short? BSAIB just doesn't work, as Barry ably demonstrates). Sonia and Barry cover two of the recent Court of Appeal deprivation cases, as well as Asylum Aid's recent statelessness challenge and a recent decision on children separated from their parents during a Channel crossing.

Sonia also covered a few trafficking updates and made a plea for one final effort on legal aid as the final consultation opens. There are new briefings and case updates on work routes as well as interesting one on urgent removals. Barry finishes off with a look at Manston and the recent judicial review forcing a proper inquiry into what happened at the centre.

The 41 minute podcast follows the running order below:

Immigration news (00:30)

Free Movement review of the year 2024

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

Nationality (04:05)

Deprivation of British citizenship process is procedurally unfair, says Court of Appeal

New Court of Appeal guidance on the correct test to be applied to s.40(3) deprivation of citizenship appeals

Statelessness – Asylum Aid legal challenge to family reunion rules change in High Court this week

Asylum (13:45)

Home Office wins appeal against interim admission of parents of separated children

Consultation on increase to legal aid fees opens

Changes to guidance on requesting reconsideration of trafficking leave decisions

Briefing: how to request leave to remain for survivors of trafficking

How to identify whether a migrant domestic worker is a victim of modern slavery?

Work routes (16:35)

Care home operator successfully challenges Home Office approach to genuine vacancy requirement

Briefing: how to sponsor a Charity Worker

Briefing: how to apply for a Charity Worker sponsor licence

Significant changes made to guidance on sponsoring workers

Skilled worker encountered “volunteering” loses challenge to cancellation of leave

Unsuccessful challenge to refusal of further leave where appellant was aware of issues with sponsor licence

Family (27:20)

Two recent Strasbourg cases on family life between adults

EUSS (32:10)

Home Office to start converting eligible EUSS pre-settled status holders to settled status this month

Immigration Advice Authority (33:00)

OISC renamed Immigration Advice Authority from 16 January 2025

Deportation/Removal (33:50)

High Court gives guidance on secret correspondence for charter flight removals

Detention (35:00)

Home Office settles Manston inquiry judicial review

Updated (39:30)

Briefing: how to apply for a student sponsor licence

Home Office guidance on streamlined asylum processing for children

Briefing: how to apply for a religious work visa

What is the Immigration Advice Authority, previously known as the OISC?

Will I need Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK?

What are the UK immigration rules on statelessness?

It’s goodbye to 2024 in this month’s podcast, with Sonia and Barry wrapping up December. They spend a bit of time discussing eVisas at the beginning of the podcast, before moving on to asylum and trafficking where issues around the quality of decision making have been raised in a couple of different posts.

Barry covered two Court of Appeal decisions on the EU Settlement Scheme as well as an Upper Tribunal decision on deportation of EU nationals. Sonia discussed OISC’s name change and suggests that time and money might have been better spent on resolving the various issues with the new online portal. All that and much more!

The 46 minute long podcast follows the running order below: 

eVisas (00:40)

eVisas and the hostile environment: a disaster waiting to happen

Home Office minister makes statement on eVisas

Asylum (13:10)

Briefing: current problems in the UK asylum system and how to address them

Migrant Help: now more helpful?

Court of Appeal dismisses Iranian asylum appeal

Afghan family to have application decided a sixth time after unfair refusal

Recent changes to the policy on granting leave to survivors of trafficking

Inspection of trafficking decision making body finds speed prioritised over quality

EUSS (23:10)

Court of Appeal says that application made to EU Settlement Scheme was correctly rejected

Court of Appeal allows appeal on EU Settlement Scheme dependency rules

Procedure (29:05)

New Presidential Guidance on litigation friends in the tribunals

Leave obtained by deception does not count as “continuous lawful residence”

Court of Appeal finds Home Office cannot use the same certification decision in successive removals

Unrepresented claimant fails in judicial review of voided application

Deportation (38:10)

Upper Tribunal clarifies position on deportation of EU nationals for pre and post-Brexit conduct

Regulatory (39:14)

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner to be replaced by Immigration Advice Authority

Nationality (41:25)

High Court dismisses challenge to refusal of indefinite leave under Windrush scheme

Updates (45:00)

Fee waivers: what can you do if you cannot afford to pay your immigration application fee?

Briefing: applying for a graduate visa

How to apply for the UK’s global talent visa 

Barry returns and joins Sonia to run you through November on Free Movement. It was statistics galore for Sonia who covered the latest immigration, asylum and trafficking figures. A surprise statement of changes contained bad news for Colombians and Ukrainians. Barry was a really big fan of Colin's review of the latest Paddington movie and enthusiastically endorsed Alex Piletska's suggestion that the referee requirement for citizenship applications is scrapped. There were also several cases covered, including a detailed explanation from Sonia of the implications of the latest challenge to the no recourse to public funds policy. Full details of all the posts we covered can be found below.

General immigration (00:40)

Statistics for July to September 2024 show health and care worker and student numbers continuing to fall

Safe options for Ukrainians and Colombians coming to the UK shut down in latest statement of changes

Asylum (03:50)

Appeals lodged in the First-tier Tribunal up 53% and continued “significant increase” of asylum appeals expected

States cannot refuse asylum claims by LGBTQI+ people based on the ‘discretion test’ alone

Trafficking referrals and decisions at record high in latest statistics

Unlawfully withdrawn asylum claim results in quashing of trafficking reconsideration refusal

Regulation (14:10)

OISC adviser who worked beyond his authorisation loses appeal against cancellation of registration

Law Society reaccreditation exam: how to prepare and what to expect

EUSS (19:50)

Lack of appeal against rejection of late EUSS applications does not breach Withdrawal Agreement

Independent Monitoring Authority asks Home Office for clarity on border issues for those with pending EUSS applications

EEA national appellant in prison on 31 December 2020 deemed not to be exercising treaty rights

Nationality (28:00)

An immigration lawyer reviews Paddington in Peru: A very British bear

“But I don’t know any barristers” – the case for scrapping the referee requirement for citizenship applications

Work routes (34:00)

Court of Appeal dismisses challenge to employer penalty notice

Detention (37:10)

Inspection report concludes that Brook House is less safe than two years ago

Deportation (38:25)

Court of Appeal gives further guidance on assessing seriousness of an offence in deportation cases

Human rights (42:30)

High Court finds no lawful system in place for expediting change of conditions applications

Updates (47:30)

General grounds for refusal: understanding re-entry bans

A guide to right to work checks

How to apply for a skilled worker visa

Will I need Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK?

Briefing: how to apply for a high potential individual visa

Can asylum seekers work while waiting for a decision on their case?

Colin's back! But for how long? All is revealed in our October roundup podcast. Plus Sonia and Colin discuss hot topics such as the new practice direction for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal, appeals backlogs, issues in asylum interviews and reaccreditation for the Law Society's immigration and asylum scheme.

We also cover the latest Supreme Court decision on the best interests of children, a case involving some serious administrative failings at the Court of Appeal, climate change and refugees and the latest inspection report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. On work routes we cover posts explaining which routes can lead to settlement, the latest round of litigation on care home sponsor licence revocation and whether the skilled worker pay thresholds create an equal pay issue. All this and much more (and no politics!).

The 38 minute podcast follows the running order below:

Procedure (01:30)

New Practice Direction of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal issued

Court of Appeal apologises and grants four year extension of time after administrative failings

Administrative Court reminds practitioners of the need for an application when seeking to rely on expert evidence

When can someone be refused a passport because of their name?

Supreme Court says that statutory duty regarding children does not apply to the First-tier Tribunal

Law Society immigration reaccreditation scheme: how does it work and how can we help?

Asylum (11:40)

Asylum appeal backlog rises to 33,000 cases, likely to rise further

Asylum interviews: what can go wrong and what can you do about it?

Advancing legal rights in the context of climate and disaster displacement

How child relatives of refugees can apply to enter or remain in the UK

Asylum delay challenge dismissed by High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland

Inspection of asylum accommodation reiterates need for the Home Office to listen to others

Spain ordered to pay compensation for failures in trafficking case

Deportation (23:30)

Can a European national be deported on ‘imperative grounds of public security’ based solely on the barbarity of their crime?

Work routes (25:40)

How to use the creative worker visa concession

Care home operator’s sponsor licence revoked for supplying sponsored workers to third parties

Which work visa routes lead to settlement?

What are the immigration dimensions to the new Employment Rights Bill?

Do the skilled worker salary threshold increases create an equal pay issue for employers?

EU Settlement Scheme (33:00)

EU Settlement Scheme: curtailment of pre-settled status after no longer meeting the rules

Family (34:40)

Ensuring confidentiality and safety in overseas immigration applications based on same sex relationships

Updates (36:15)

Youth Mobility visa: what is it and how does it work?

Briefing: applications for adult dependent relatives

How to apply for leave to remain as a bereaved partner

In this episode of the podcast Barry does everyone a big favour by taking us through the autumn statement of changes in detail. Sonia and Barry also have a bit of a call to arms on discretionary grants of indefinite leave to

General immigration (00:30)

Statement of changes HC 217: fee waivers for bereaved partners, visa regime imposed on Jordan

Home Office confirms error in immigration rules and directs skilled worker sponsors to updated guidance

Asylum (10:30)

A troubling new approach to Afghan asylum claims

Inspection of Home Office’s country guidance on Rwanda includes concerns about methodology and omission of evidence

Concerns raised about Home Office use of country information in new report on LGBTQI+ people in Georgia

Detention (20:14)

Significant damages for victim of abuse at Brook House

Human rights (21:35)

Nelson Shardey and the ten year route to settlement: running an effective legal challenge and campaign

Sponsored migration (28:00)

‘New entrants’ salary discounts for the skilled worker route: who can benefit and how well does it work

Challenge to refusal of Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) extension succeeds due to Home Office errors

International recruitment and skills shortages: what can we expect from the Migration Advisory Committee’s review?

EU Settlement Scheme (34:55)

Upper Tribunal provides guidance on the deportation of EU nationals for post-Brexit conduct

Travelling to the UK with (and without) status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Procedure (42:55)

The risks of making a fee waiver application for the purpose of “buying time” to make a different application

General grounds for refusal: alleged deception, false information and innocent mistakes

Tribunal forces Home Office to publish report on the racism that underpinned the Windrush scandal

Report published on “The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal”

eVisas (49:15)

How to make a “no time limit” application

Lost or stolen biometric residence permits will no longer be replaced

Updated (50:30)

What happens when biometric residence permits expire in December 2024?

How to apply for a visa as the parent of a child in the UK

Pursuing compensation from the Home Office

Briefing: what is section 3C leave?

How to become a level 1 OISC adviser in immigration law

Good news! (53:10)

Lord Chancellor settles challenge to immigration and asylum legal aid rates

Barry joins Sonia again this month to look back at what happened in August. We cover the latest statistics on asylum, immigration and trafficking. There are a couple of cases relating to asylum family reunion, as well as a policy change for those separated during Operation Pitting. Other cases covered included deprivation of citizenship, an unsuccessful challenge to legal aid provision for young people and a successful challenge by Bail for Immigration Detainees in a freedom of information challenge. We also discuss updates on a couple of reports from the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the latest on what is happening with Tech Nation.

The 43 minute podcast follows the running order below:

Asylum (00:55)

Latest statistics show little movement on the asylum backlog, drop in students and health and care workers

Positive decisions by immigration authority remain very low in latest trafficking statistics

Unsuccessful challenge to lack of legal aid for asylum interviews

Appeal against grant of limited bail on Diego Garcia dismissed

No discrimination found against Afghan man blocked from Ukraine schemes

Tribunal orders Home Office to disclose information on emergency travel documents for Somalia and Eritrea

New country of origin information on children and young people from Sudan

Home Office finally announces separated families route for Afghan evacuated families

How to prepare suicide risk cases

General immigration (22:40)

A step by step guide to applying for an eVisa

Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes reviews of training records and asylum legal services

Family (29:15)

Upper Tribunal says that article 8 rights of overseas family members must be considered

Work routes (33:25)

A route of last resort: two years of the UK Expansion Worker visa

The latest on Tech Nation and the Global Talent route

Nationality (35:40)

Court of Appeal dismisses appeal against deprivation of citizenship

Updated (38:25)

Leave to remain application date: how to calculate it and why it is important

How to apply for a UK Ancestry visa

How much does it cost to sponsor someone for a UK work visa?

Briefing: what is leave outside the rules?

Will I need Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK?

It's August and Colin is away on holiday so Sonia was joined by a very special guest, Barry O'Leary, for the July roundup. Sonia and Barry discussed the end of the Rwanda scheme and the resumed processing of asylum cases, things not to do when carrying out an asylum backlog clearance, and the latest pause on decision making. They also cover the many EU Settlement Scheme cases that came out in July, the Windrush Compensation Scheme, a very popular post on a case involving estoppel and passports, and much much more.

Asylum (00:55)

The Rwanda policy is in its death throes

Asylum processing to resume as new regulations allow grants of leave to be made

Lessons to be learned from the last asylum backlog clearance exercise

Successful challenge by Masters student to asylum accommodation move

Freedom of information request shows increase in multiple asylum interview invites for applicants

Asylum Support Tribunal says it can consider lawfulness of Home Office withdrawal of asylum claims

High Court finds trafficking decision unlawful for failure to consider all available evidence

Policy on leave to remain for survivors of trafficking continues to cause confusion and distress

Home Secretary delayed decisions on trafficking victims’ cases because of Rwanda policy – paving the way for potential damages claims  

EU Settlement Scheme (17:30)

Lengthy absences from the UK can still put EU settled status at risk

EU Settlement Scheme: automatic extensions and potential curtailments

Home Office policy on delaying consideration of EUSS applications held to be unlawful

Court of Appeal finds breach of Withdrawal Agreement in “mystery” stamp case

Court of Appeal resolves ambiguity about assumed dependency in EU Settlement Scheme

Detention (28:07)

Harmondsworth detention centre inspection report: “worst conditions” ever seen

Nationality (30:30)

Briefing: a guide to applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme

High Court finds passport office prevented from refusing passport to person who may not actually be British

High Court upholds refusal to register child as a British Citizen

Points Based System (38:30)

High Court confirms that mandatory sponsor licence revocation is actually mandatory in latest care home case

How the UK’s systems for dealing with overseas entertainers have descended into farce and how they can be improved

Procedure (41:42)

eVisas: who is affected and what steps to take now

First-tier Tribunal judge carried out “wholly inappropriate” cross-examination of appellant

Immigration (48:20)

New Home Office guidance clarifies transitional provisions for absences in the 10 year long residence route

Here is your June round up of Free Movement. In this episode Colin and Sonia discuss why the Illegal Migration Act should be repealed, an appalling decision on trafficking delays, a much better decision on section 3C leave, the raised standard of proof in asylum claims, one and a bit cases on challenging judicial behaviour, the latest care home revocation case and much much more. By popular (?) demand, we finish with a chat about the general election.

The 39 minute podcast follows the running order below:

Asylum (00:40)

Briefing: four problems in the UK asylum system and how to address them

Almost four year delay in deciding trafficking claim held to be lawful by High Court

The new, higher standard of proof doesn’t apply to human rights claims

Kent County Council cannot avoid its duty to find placements for unaccompanied asylum seeking children

Procedure (13:10)

Court of Appeal rejects claim that hearing was unfair because tribunal judge asked too many questions

Home Secretary’s failure to provide digital proof of status to those with section 3C leave held to be unlawful (and see here for an update from RAMFEL: https://www.ramfel.org.uk/news-and-blog/3c-leave-update-time-to-request-digital-proof-of-status)

High Court decides there is no oral permission hearing in Cart judicial reviews 

Court of Session gives guidance on transferring judicial reviews to the Upper Tribunal

Points based system (18:40)

Another care home sponsor licence revocation successfully challenged in the High Court

Official evidence of English language test cheating will raise a case to answer, confirms Upper Tribunal

Policy (22:25)

Failure to implement Windrush recommendations held to be unlawful by High Court

Where are we now and what is the future of the Illegal Migration Act?

Updated articles (25:20)

Should refugees claim asylum in the first safe country they reach?

What is the difference between a “refugee” and an “asylum seeker”?

What is the refugee definition in international and UK law?

Can Ukrainians take refuge in the UK? Ukraine schemes and other routes

How does immigration and nationality law apply to adopted children?

How to apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence

General election 2024 (26:15)

What changes does a Labour government promise for business immigration?

In this podcast Sonia discusses Kalayaan's new report "12 years of modern slavery" with Avril Sharp, immigration lawyer and policy officer. The report looks at the history of the overseas domestic worker visa, and the harmful changes that have made.

They also discuss the impact of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, delays within the National Referral Mechanism system for identifying survivors of trafficking and modern slavery, the experiences of those within the system, similarities with other "tied" visa routes and changes that need to be made to protect domestic workers.