https://freemovement.org.uk Updates, commentary, training and advice on immigration and asylum law Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:40:43 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://freemovement.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-Goose-logo-32x32.png https://freemovement.org.uk 32 32 https://freemovement.org.uk/home-office-unlawfully-removed-protections/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=home-office-unlawfully-removed-protections https://freemovement.org.uk/home-office-unlawfully-removed-protections/#respond Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240190 The High Court has ruled that the Home Office acted unlawfully when it removed long-standing accommodation protections for survivors of torture, trafficking and other serious violence. The court found that the Home Office failed to consult specialist organisations, properly consider equality impacts or investigate the likely consequences of the changes. In a significant victory for […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/home-office-unlawfully-removed-protections/feed/ 0 240190 https://freemovement.org.uk/criminality-pre-2012-discretionary-leave/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=criminality-pre-2012-discretionary-leave https://freemovement.org.uk/criminality-pre-2012-discretionary-leave/#respond Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240205 There must surely only be a handful of people left on pre-2012 discretionary leave, but some may not yet have settled despite the six-year qualifying period. The two most common reasons are overstaying, which restarts the clock, and criminality. We previously covered here the case of R (Ellis) v Secretary of State for the Home […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/criminality-pre-2012-discretionary-leave/feed/ 0 240205 https://freemovement.org.uk/new-guidance-on-remote-hearings-in-the-immigration-tribunals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-guidance-on-remote-hearings-in-the-immigration-tribunals https://freemovement.org.uk/new-guidance-on-remote-hearings-in-the-immigration-tribunals/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:40:41 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240213 The judiciary has published updated guidance on remote hearings for both the First-tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal, which supersedes all previous guidance. This is following a cross-jurisdictional review of the use of remote participation in proceedings commissioned by the Lady Chief Justice. The two chambers approach the default position differently. In the Upper Tribunal, […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/new-guidance-on-remote-hearings-in-the-immigration-tribunals/feed/ 0 240213 https://freemovement.org.uk/stop-marker-error-airport-detention-unlawful/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stop-marker-error-airport-detention-unlawful https://freemovement.org.uk/stop-marker-error-airport-detention-unlawful/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:46:18 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240196 A Ghanaian mother with valid leave to remain challenged the Home Office practice of automatically flagging immigration refusals on its Warnings Index computer system, arguing it led to her unlawful detention at Heathrow airport. In January 2023, Rosina Davis had her permission to stay in the UK extended on family life grounds. Three days later, […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/stop-marker-error-airport-detention-unlawful/feed/ 0 240196 https://freemovement.org.uk/sponsor-guidance-and-what-the-changes-mean/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sponsor-guidance-and-what-the-changes-mean https://freemovement.org.uk/sponsor-guidance-and-what-the-changes-mean/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240085 On 20 May 2026 the Home Office published a fresh round of updates to its guidance for licenced sponsors; the third set of related changes since March 2026. Keeping up with these updates is a considerable task for sponsors and practitioners. In this article, we discuss the latest changes and what they mean for employers. […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/sponsor-guidance-and-what-the-changes-mean/feed/ 0 240085 https://freemovement.org.uk/invalid-immigration-application-uk-immigration-rules-home-office/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=invalid-immigration-application-uk-immigration-rules-home-office https://freemovement.org.uk/invalid-immigration-application-uk-immigration-rules-home-office/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://env-7121714.mightybox.site/?p=165582 For a UK immigration application to be considered at all, it must be valid. Whether an applicant meets the criteria is a moot point if this first, fundamental requirement isn’t met. Validity is a bit like oxygen: all things being well, it is invisible and unnoticeable. You only notice it when it’s absent, and if […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/invalid-immigration-application-uk-immigration-rules-home-office/feed/ 0 165582 https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-122/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-122 https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-122/#respond Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240086 Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! A briefing from JRS UK and Humans for Rights Network exposed that age-disputed children are being detained under the UK-France ‘one-in-one-out’ scheme. Despite children being excluded from the scheme, at least 141 age-disputed young people have been detained under it since August 2025. Of those, 18 have already been removed […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-122/feed/ 0 240086 https://freemovement.org.uk/decision-on-closure-of-the-arap-scheme/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=decision-on-closure-of-the-arap-scheme https://freemovement.org.uk/decision-on-closure-of-the-arap-scheme/#respond Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240070 A judicial review challenging the fairness of the Home Secretary and Secretary of Defence’s joint decision to close the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to new applications without notice on 1 July 2025 has been dismissed. The High Court considered a number of grounds of challenge including procedural unfairness, legitimate expectation and fettering discretion. […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/decision-on-closure-of-the-arap-scheme/feed/ 0 240070 https://freemovement.org.uk/legal-aid-immigration-scope-and-how-to-apply/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=legal-aid-immigration-scope-and-how-to-apply https://freemovement.org.uk/legal-aid-immigration-scope-and-how-to-apply/#respond Sun, 31 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239846 Despite the cuts introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, legal aid remains available for some immigration cases. The Law Society regulates legal aid immigration and asylum work through its Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme. The scheme sets out what types of work are permitted at different levels. You must […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/legal-aid-immigration-scope-and-how-to-apply/feed/ 0 239846 https://freemovement.org.uk/court-cautions-against-speculating-in-article-3-cases/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=court-cautions-against-speculating-in-article-3-cases https://freemovement.org.uk/court-cautions-against-speculating-in-article-3-cases/#respond Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240058 The Court of Appeal has allowed the Home Office’s appeal against the First-tier Tribunal judgment that deporting a Nigerian national with a serious mental health condition would breach his rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court also highlighted the importance of showing both a serious, rapid, and irreversible decline […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/court-cautions-against-speculating-in-article-3-cases/feed/ 0 240058 https://freemovement.org.uk/the3million-euss-travel-restrictions-challenge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the3million-euss-travel-restrictions-challenge https://freemovement.org.uk/the3million-euss-travel-restrictions-challenge/#respond Thu, 28 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239915 the3million (represented by Public Law Project) has taken the Home Office to court to challenge travel restrictions placed on EU citizens and their family members living in the UK, following its withdrawal from the EU. This blog post summarises the legal arguments of the3million’s case and aims to highlight this important development for advisers and […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/the3million-euss-travel-restrictions-challenge/feed/ 0 239915 https://freemovement.org.uk/briefing-how-to-make-a-change-of-conditions-application-and-remove-the-no-recourse-to-public-funds-restriction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=briefing-how-to-make-a-change-of-conditions-application-and-remove-the-no-recourse-to-public-funds-restriction https://freemovement.org.uk/briefing-how-to-make-a-change-of-conditions-application-and-remove-the-no-recourse-to-public-funds-restriction/#respond Wed, 27 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=204807 This article explains how to make a successful change of conditions application where a person needs to lift the no recourse to public funds restriction (NRPF) from their grant of leave. This article is written for applicants as well as for the lawyers and advisers who may be assisting in more complex cases. Overview The […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/briefing-how-to-make-a-change-of-conditions-application-and-remove-the-no-recourse-to-public-funds-restriction/feed/ 0 204807 How to download a draft of a Change of Conditions application nonadult https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-immigration-solicitor-birnberg-peirce-solicitors-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=job-ad-immigration-solicitor-birnberg-peirce-solicitors-2 https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-immigration-solicitor-birnberg-peirce-solicitors-2/#respond Wed, 27 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240033 Immigration Solicitor Full Time: Salary Dependent on experience (range from £39,295) We are a long-established London-based law firm focusing on protecting and advancing human rights. We are recruiting for an immigration solicitor. We are an experienced department practising in a wide range of immigration matters.  We deal with cases from the initial application through to […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-immigration-solicitor-birnberg-peirce-solicitors-2/feed/ 0 240033 https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-121/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-121 https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-121/#respond Tue, 26 May 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=240028 Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! Last week saw the release of the latest immigration statistics which show migration into the UK is down across the board. According to the Office for National Statistics, net migration fell by nearly 50% to 171,000 by the end of 2025 and is projected to fall further. Despite the downward […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/free-movement-weekly-immigration-newsletter-121/feed/ 0 240028 https://freemovement.org.uk/right-to-rent-checks-practical-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=right-to-rent-checks-practical-guide https://freemovement.org.uk/right-to-rent-checks-practical-guide/#respond Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239554 A right to rent check is a legal requirement in England, but not in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Prior to the start of any residential tenancies in England, landlords (or their agents) must check that all adult occupiers (aged 18 or over) have the legal right to rent property in the UK. The scheme […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/right-to-rent-checks-practical-guide/feed/ 0 239554 https://freemovement.org.uk/work-visas-employer-crackdowns-nationalities-stats-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=work-visas-employer-crackdowns-nationalities-stats-2026 https://freemovement.org.uk/work-visas-employer-crackdowns-nationalities-stats-2026/#respond Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239994 The latest immigration statistics show work visas down 59% from their December 2023 peak, with 253,000 granted in the year ending March 2026. The decline is substantial, but the figures at sector and nationality level are far more dramatic than the headline suggests. The transparency data published alongside today’s statistics reveals that enforcement against employers and sponsors is running […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/work-visas-employer-crackdowns-nationalities-stats-2026/feed/ 0 239994 https://freemovement.org.uk/rules-committee-consulting-on-amendments-to-upper-tribunal-judicial-review-rules/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rules-committee-consulting-on-amendments-to-upper-tribunal-judicial-review-rules https://freemovement.org.uk/rules-committee-consulting-on-amendments-to-upper-tribunal-judicial-review-rules/#respond Fri, 22 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239975 Tribunal Procedure Committee, which is responsible for amending the tribunal’s procedure rules, is consulting on some adjustments to the existing Upper Tribunal rules in judicial review cases: (1) To introduce a provision in the UTR mirroring rule 54.8A of the Civil Procedure Rules (“CPR”), making express provision for an applicant to provide a reply to […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/rules-committee-consulting-on-amendments-to-upper-tribunal-judicial-review-rules/feed/ 0 239975 https://freemovement.org.uk/historic-injustice-needs-to-prove-causation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=historic-injustice-needs-to-prove-causation https://freemovement.org.uk/historic-injustice-needs-to-prove-causation/#respond Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239999 The Upper Tribunal has dismissed an appeal by the daughter-in-law and grandchildren of a former Gurkha. The tribunal held that the historic injustice suffered by Gurkha veterans did not make the refusal of entry clearance disproportionate on the facts of their case. It confirmed that where a Gurkha historic injustice argument is raised, it is […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/historic-injustice-needs-to-prove-causation/feed/ 0 239999 https://freemovement.org.uk/latest-immigration-statistics-show-falls-in-net-migration-and-fall-in-asylum-claims/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=latest-immigration-statistics-show-falls-in-net-migration-and-fall-in-asylum-claims https://freemovement.org.uk/latest-immigration-statistics-show-falls-in-net-migration-and-fall-in-asylum-claims/#respond Thu, 21 May 2026 10:37:19 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239983 The latest quarterly immigration statistics show immigration into the United Kingdom falling across the board. Fewer migrants generally, fewer asylum claims, fewer small boat crossings, fewer students, fewer family members and fewer workers. Net migration stood at 171,000 for the year 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics, continuing its rapid fall from a […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/latest-immigration-statistics-show-falls-in-net-migration-and-fall-in-asylum-claims/feed/ 0 239983 https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-shropshire-supports-refugees-ssr-are-recruiting-an-iaa-level-2-casework-advisor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=job-ad-shropshire-supports-refugees-ssr-are-recruiting-an-iaa-level-2-casework-advisor https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-shropshire-supports-refugees-ssr-are-recruiting-an-iaa-level-2-casework-advisor/#respond Thu, 21 May 2026 06:30:00 +0000 https://freemovement.org.uk/?p=239970 Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) Level 2 Casework Adviser We are looking for a Level 2 IAA Level 2 Casework Adviser who believes in making a difference in the lives of vulnerable migrants by advocating for fairness and compassion in immigration processes. Shropshire Supports Refugees (SSR) is a charity dedicated to supporting refugees and marginalised migrants […]]]> https://freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-shropshire-supports-refugees-ssr-are-recruiting-an-iaa-level-2-casework-advisor/feed/ 0 239970