14 December 2016
Local authorities roll out new streamlined services for British citizenship and Permanent Residence applications
In recent months the Home Office, in partnership with local authorities, has rolled out a number of new initiatives for those making British citizenship applications and for EEA nationals applying for documents certifying they have acquired Permanent Residence under EU law. These new services offer a number of benefits for applicants, not least the ability to retain an original passport whilst an application is being processed but also speeding up the processing time. Set out in this blog is a brief overview of these new services and the benefits they provide.
9 December 2016
Webinar - Update on the latest immigration rule changes
In this webinar, Ilda de Sousa, Rizwana Quazi and Moji Oyediran delve deeper into the most recent changes to the Tier 2 category, as well as other relevant changes of interest to employers. The webinar will explore some of the practical impacts of these changes for employers and their work force, highlighting in particular the changes likely to have a significant impact going forward.
30 November 2016
Would the UK consider Donald Trump to be of ‘good character’?
Eager to ingratiate themselves with the new President-elect, the UK Government is apparently considering inviting Donald Trump on a state visit in 2017. This will be no ordinary visit, Donald Trump having the dubious honour of being the first sitting President who MPs have actually debated banning from the UK following a petition calling for that which attracted just shy of 600,000 signatures. At the time of the petition, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, publicly noted her disagreement with Trump’s call for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States and released a statement that noted ‘we will continue to speak out against comments which have the potential to divide our communities regardless of who makes them. We reject any attempts to create division and marginalisation amongst those we endeavour to protect’. While the statement did not refer directly to Donald Trump, the message was taken to be a veiled comment on his policy proposal and the petition.
Despite some stinging remarks about then-candidate Trump, the debate was more for show than with the intention of leading to any actual restrictions on his entry to the UK and the President Elect, who has a number of business interests in the UK, has since visited.
That said, with a looming state visit, I thought it would be worth considering whether Donald Trump could fall foul of any of the ‘good character’ requirements that apply to British nationality applications.
23 November 2016
Moving on from Groundhog Day – establishing a business and obtaining permanent residency in Ireland or Canada
In both a political and global context, Wednesday 9th November 2016 felt like Groundhog Day. Or, as the US President – elect might declare ‘Groundhog Day plus-plus-plus’. Inextricably linked, the parallels are impossible to ignore. Within hours of the votes being counted in the aftermath of the US election, a strikingly familiar post- EU Referendum story began to reappear - this time from Canada with the national immigration website server unable to cope with disillusioned voters desperate for an escape route.
21 November 2016
Was the 28-day grace period for overstaying really inconsistent with the need to comply with the UK’s immigration laws?
The latest statement of changes to the immigration rules, which will primarily take effect from 24 November 2016, brings about the abolition of the '28-day period', which rather graciously allowed many applicants to apply for further leave to remain after their current leave had expired.