New immigration fees from 8 April 2026 just out. Most fees going up by 6 or 7%.
Settlement (ILR) going up from £3,029 to £3,226 per applicant (so £12,904 for a family of 4).
Cost to Home Office of deciding each application: £523 (£2,092 for a family of 4).
Delicious Recipes for Your Eid al-Fitr Feast
We've got delicious ideas to help celebrate the end of Ramadan. nyti.ms/4rACjhH
Ahaha yeah this could’ve been two sentences but at least now you know exactly why not!
TLDR no, but an interesting read.
Epic analysis of the new immigration rules by @alexinlaw.bsky.social
But this could potentially have enormous implications for children of British or settled parents for as long as the rule lasts. At present, child dependants of Appendix FM partners apply for limited leave, in line with their non-settled parent, and do not settle until they do, which takes five years at a minimum and sometimes longer. However, following this decision, where the British/settled sponsor is the child’s parent, it may be possible to apply for settlement for the child immediately under para 297(i)(f) instead of spending many years and many thousands of pounds on extension applications. It is also possible for children already in the UK to apply for indefinite leave to remain under para 298, which has an equivalent provision. In circumstances where both parents are in the UK, one of whom is settled or British while the other has limited leave, it is difficult to imagine the Home Office reasonably concluding that the exclusion of their minor child is desirable, if the application is carefully prepared with strong evidence. This is particularly the case if the child is already living with them in the UK, as the disruption of the status quo is one of the factors that would be taken into account as part of the assessment. This doesn’t just apply to people here in a family route like Appendix FM, either. There is nothing stopping, for example, a family in the UK in the Global Talent route from making this application on behalf of their minor child when the main applicant settles, provided the child is under 18 at the date of application. As the main applicant will usually qualify for indefinite leave to remain after three years, while dependant partners need to complete five years, this may help their children settle earlier.
Important write up by @alexinlaw.bsky.social of an important Court of Appeal case on children and the immigration rules freemovement.org.uk/important-co...
It's time we asked a different question about migration: Why are so many British people leaving the UK?
inews.co.uk/opinion/immi...
Vote Labour
Would we expect this just to affect failed asylum seekers (as this is found in the failed asylum seekers section) or could Syrian refugees applying to settle now after five years of residence be affected too (at least for as long as the current system applies)?
I'm reading through the white paper or whatever it is. RESTORING ORDER AND CONTROL: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy www.gov.uk/government/p...
A friend and I spent a rainy day looking at this and there are some changes that essentially means that an "exceptional circumstances" test will be applied to those in this situation. Superior analysis here @alexinlaw.bsky.social : freemovement.org.uk/new-suitabil...
Well well well, if it isn’t the Tories doing something right for a change
news.sky.com/story/ban-pa...
Really fun Tudor fact: Katherine Parr, Henry III’s sixth wife, is named after Catherine of Aragorn, his first wife, because her mother was her lady in waiting.
Henry VIII was in the wife business for so long that his last wife was named after his first wife.
The UK’s National Referral Mechanism traps migrant workers like Cynthia—who escaped abusive employers—in limbo without the right to work, leaving them vulnerable to re-exploitation. Advocates demand real protections beyond this ineffective “band-aid” system.
www.freedomunited.org/news/uk-surv...
Hello you! Haha I haven’t played VII yet because I’m waiting for all the bugs to be worked out but I’m looking forward to it
NEW
Explaining a 31-month sentence for a tweet
How a mixture of court process, law and sentencing policy led to the lengthy imprisonment of Lucy Connolly
By me
Substack: emptycity.substack.com/p/explaining...
Personal blog: davidallengreen.com/2025/05/expl...
Court of Appeal really lays into the EUSS rules for being basically impenetrable in a recent case.
So after months chasing after Reform votes and a major announcement which caused widespread offence and anger among everyone left of Robert Jenrick, a full four per cent of Reform voters now have a favourable impression of Labour, top work from all concerned
I am obviously extra conscious of this since Alex's article (freemovement.org.uk/housesitters...) but a health warning on this would be sensible especially given the recent reports of tourists getting banged up on the US border
What a lot of people are missing about Trump’s meeting with Zelensky is that there was a massive language barrier which obviously hindered communication. But if Trump takes some English lessons before their next meeting, it might be more productive.
Aw thanks! Hope you’re having an excellent Saturday
What a lot of people are missing about Trump’s meeting with Zelensky is that there was a massive language barrier which obviously hindered communication. But if Trump takes some English lessons before their next meeting, it might be more productive.
Remote working is a bit of a grey area. If it’s just answering a few emails and having a Zoom meeting, this should be fine, but if the purpose of a holiday is to work full time from here, that might be an issue.
In case you missed it: Housesitters and holiday swappers: what are the immigration law implications? | Alex Piletska
Hello there, my friend! Glad to have you here. Yeah since the Nazi salute I’ve basically just stayed away from the bird app.
Top 10 Free Movement blog posts of 2024 by page views. Some of these were open access already and I’ve removed the lock on the others.
