ReleaseWire Connect

The rules regarding immigration status and the right to work currently in the UK are really quite complex and some could argue that they are in many cases uneven, therefore whenever in doubt it is vital that professional immigration advice is taken. People whom hold Indefinite Leave to Remain are allowed to work without any restrictions and the majority of EU and EEA nationals for the time being have such an unfettered right to work also, even those whom are from outside the EEA.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has recently announced that Britain was engaged in a two-way negotiation with the EU and was unable to guarantee that following Brexit visa-free travel within Europe would be protected. This means that soon people living in Britain could have to apply for and obtain travel visas when looking to holiday in popular European destinations.

An official watchdog has revealed a surge in the number of individuals entering Britain illegally in the back of lorries, with Home Office staff reporting that illegal lorry drops alone kept them so busy last year that other immigration enforcement activities had to take a back seat, including tackling human trafficking and more.

Following the Brexit result there has been a huge increase in immigration enquiries as many workers and businesses have been left unsure what the future is going to bring. One immigration solicitors in particular, Simpson Millar, has reported that their website has seen over a 100% increase in enquiries since the EU Referendum took place and a 290% increase in unique visitors.

The UK's immigration control practices and policies saw a whopping 32,446 people detained in 2015 by the UK government for a variety of reasons. Some were held whilst under investigation and possible deportation and just over half were released back into the community without further issues. What is not generally understood about the figures is that many of the detainees had lived in the UK for decades and who had settled a long time ago with families and to have children. Most of the detentions were seemingly pointless but caused undue distress and disruption to not only the detainees, but their loved ones and children.

The UK Conservative government has come under fire from critics and activists in an update to the UK Immigration Bill, stating that just 600 Syrian refugee children should be accepted into the UK over the next five years.

In excess of £4 million pounds has been granted in compensation from the Government following the illegal detention of people in immigration detention centres between 2014-15.

The UK is currently losing a substantial share of the international student market to its competitors such as Canada and Australia - Could the Conservative governments' immigration policy be to blame? Yes.

According to a recent report from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which conducted research across a number of UK schools, it was shown that around 82% of children of immigrants felt comfortable and 'at home' in their school. This high statistic could suggest positive levels of societal integration for children from immigrant families and confirmation that the UK can be a supportive place for families to develop study and grow. Keen to comment on this have been a number of immigration experts, including Garth Coates.

Recent figures from the Office For National Statistics have shown that visitor numbers from people overseas to the UKL has increased since 2014, and in turn is expected to rise further this year. The UK is after all a popular tourist destination and people often travel to visit family. In 2015 visitors to the UK were at 35.8 million, which shows a 4% increase from 2014.