Blog – GOOD ADVICE UK

Changes to visa fees from 4th October 2023

26/09/2023

Roshni LEGAL ASSISTANT Changes to visa fees from 04 October 2023: In an unsurprising change to the immigration world, the Home Office is about to increase the fees they charge for those wishing to obtain a visa. Now, we all know that inflation is a very real thing that the whole world is experiencing, let alone the UK. However, some of these figures are truthfully mind-boggling. Why the increase? Well, the explanation is as follows: “ increases to immigration and

Lone Asylum Seeking Children: The Home Office’s biggest failure?

12/09/2023

Roshni LEGAL ASSISTANT Lone Asylum Seeking Children: The Home Office’s biggest failure? When we visualise asylum seekers, we often see young men. This is no surprise, as even through my research, nearly all general articles about refugees and asylum seekers on European shores have pictures of groups of young men. However, the forgotten group of people arriving at our shores in seek of protection is not these men, but young children. According to the Home Office, ‘unaccompanied Asylum Seeking children’

The UK Ancestry visa – the right to employment in the UK and British citizenship

05/09/2023

Ali LEGAL ASSISTANT The UK Ancestry visa – the right to employment in the UK and British citizenship An overview of the UK Ancestry visa In general terms, a UK Ancestry visa is issued by the United Kingdom to a Commonwealth citizen, a British overseas citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, a British national (overseas) and a citizen of Zimbabwe with a grandparent who is born in either the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland (before

Operation Warm Welcome: a not so warm welcome?

29/08/2023

Roshni LEGAL ASSISTANT Operation Warm Welcome: a not so warm welcome? There’s a bit of irony in the phrase Operation Warm Welcome, in that it implies that we are extending a helping hand to those in need simply out of the kindness and purity of our hearts. But anyone who is familiar with what the ‘Operation’ was, will know that it was merely to support those through turbulent times who have availed us of their assistance. Even then, it could

What Next for Ukrainians in the UK?

22/08/2023

Gilbert TRAINEE IMMIGRATION ADVISER What Next for Ukrainians in the UK? Intro In my previous post on the statement of changes to the UK’s immigration rules, I mentioned that the deadline for new applications to the Ukrainian Extension Scheme had been extended. While welcome news for many people using the scheme, it highlights an issue regarding the scheme (and the other schemes available to Ukrainians fleeing the invasion of their country by Russia), namely that there is a lot of

How AI could transform the Home Office

14/08/2023

Roshni LEGAL ASSISTANT How AI could transform the Home Office It’s no secret that the Home Office has very poor organisational skills. Their failure to deal with asylum cases in appropriate time is indicative of this. As of May 2023, it was estimated that over 74,000 asylum cases were still pending[1]. It is estimated that for each case, it takes at least six months for an individual to receive a decision on their initial claims. This backlog has been recognised

Explained: Changes to the Immigration Rules

11/08/2023

Gilbert TRAINEE IMMIGRATION ADVISER Explained: Changes to the Immigration Rules On 20 July 2023, the Home Office published a statement of changes in the UK’s immigration rules. The changes cover a number of policy areas and impact a wide array of applicants. In this post I will explain and analyse the changes and explain the potential impact of them on the UK and people thinking of entering the UK. Student Route The UK government has announced two major changes to

Bibby Stockholm: A future cause of Stockholm Syndrome?

27/07/2023

Roshni LEGAL ASSISTANT Bibby Stockholm: A future cause of Stockholm Syndrome? Its 2023, right? 20 years ago, we always pictured the future with everything floating – cars, shops and even houses. More recently, we seem to have found a compromise in that we have accepted homes floating over water. We see these floating houses and villas in places such as the Maldives and the Seychelles and admittedly, we see them as somewhat of a luxury. So, given that its such

The Illegal Migration Act 2023: An Unworkable and Cruel Mess

24/07/2023

Gilbert TRAINEE IMMIGRATION ADVISER The Illegal Migration Act 2023: An Unworkable and Cruel Mess One of the most famous and best novels of the 20th century is Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. A work of satire about the absurdity of war and military life, the title refers to a central paradox at the centre of the plot. In the book, a “Catch-22” is when any pilot requests mental evaluation for insanity -hoping to be found not sane enough to fly and thereby

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