UK Home Office Criticised for Refusal to Reveal ‘High Risk’ Countries
The Home Office has faced stark criticism from campaign groups for its decision not to reveal details of the algorithm used to filter UK visa applications. In response to a legal challenge brought by immigrants’ rights campaigners over use of its artificial intelligence programme, the Home Office provided a redacted list of countries in different […]
2020 Planned Closures of USCIS Field Offices
USCIS is continuing with the planned closure of 13 US international field offices and 3 district offices by August 2020. USCIS operated 23 international offices in 20 countries around the globe. While it had previously advised of plans to close all of its international offices by March 2020, USCIS confirmed in a statement last summer […]
New H-1B Electronic Visa Registration Process
A new registration process takes effect for the forthcoming H-1B cap selection process which, according to USCIS, will deliver overall cost savings to petitioning employers. Following completion of a pilot testing phase in 2019, USCIS has confirmed it will be implementing the new electronic registration process in the next H-1B visa lottery for the fiscal […]
Overhaul of US Immigration Regulations Ahead of Election
2020 is set to bring wide-ranging reforms in US immigration regulations as the Trump Administration moves ahead with planned changes against a deadline of this year’s Presidential election. The proposed rules, as outlined in the Government’s Unified Agenda for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will, if enacted, profoundly affect employers, H-1B and L-1 visa […]
Business Groups Warn Against Post-Brexit UK Immigration System
The CBI has warned the introduction of an arbitrary £30,000 salary threshold for all migrant workers would not be workable for the UK economy. The warning comes in response to the Government’s white paper on UK immigration, published in December 2018. White paper on immigration In the document, the Government proposes a fundamental overhaul of […]
Changes to UK Immigration Rules January 2019
In its Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, the Government has laid down the latest changes affecting UK immigration policy. New Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme for Non-EU workers 2019 will see the introduction of a new two-year pilot scheme for seasonal employment in the horticultural sector. The scheme will initially be trialled with selected operators, […]
Immigration Health Surcharge has Doubled
From today, the UK’s immigration health surcharge has been doubled from £200 to £400 per visa applicant per year. The increase also applies to those eligible for the discounted rate, which has risen from £150 to £300. This affects students and those on youth mobility schemes. The new rates apply to all relevant applications made […]