Immigration Update
The firm has been extremely busy dealing with the increased number of cases as a result of numerous changes that the Government have made to the Immigration laws. In particular the Government in 2008 introduced legislation against illegal working which has resulted in a number of businesses being fined for employing illegal workers.
The Points Based system was at long last introduced in November 2008. We have been dealing with a number of frankly strange and unfair refusals that have been made by the Home Office in relation to Tier 1 applications. Further in November 2008 the immigration rules were changed confirming that spouses from abroad now have to be 21 years old before making an application for Entry Clearance as a spouse.
The Government is currently looking at changing the Nationality laws which will make it more difficult to become a British National. These changes are due to come into force in late 2009.
We have seen the Government making an unprecedented number of changes in relation to Immigration law, which has in turn increased our workload. A common theme throughout the changes has been an ephasis on applicants having the original correct paperwork and for a full Immigration history to be revealed. It is therefore extremely important to obtain advice from a competent legal advisor before making any Immigration application. Further details of changes can be found on the Border and Immigration website www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk