Immigration: Visa Net Widened - 1st July 2009

From today, visitors to the United Kingdom from South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland will only be able to travel with a visa.

Visitors will now be fingerprinted and checked against watch-lists before being issued with a visa to travel. The new rules were introduced to counter passport and identity fraud, and follow Britain's first global review of who needs a visa to come to the United Kingdom for a short-term visit.

Nationals from more than 100 countries now require a visa.

Immigration: Visit Visas - 31st July 2009

The UK in line with other countries has implemented the collection of biometric data of all visa applicants. Involving a ten finger scan this is a quick and simple process which enables the UK Border Agency to identify individuals and keep records.

The UK Border Agency is providing the option of a long-term, multiple entry, visitor visa as a way of illustrating the importance, economic and otherwise, of visitors to the UK.

The long-term visit visa includes the following benefits:

• allows unlimited entries to the UK, for up to six months at any one time, for the validity of the visa
• saves you time - you only need to provide your biometric data once during the whole validity of the visa
• identifies the holder as a person known and trusted by the UK government
• helps to protect customers from identity theft
• prevents mistaken identity (i.e. preventing confusing an individual with another person bearing the same or similar name)
• protects the holder against any future visa fee increases for the validity of the long-term visa.
   

In addition, applicants can apply to enrol in the automatic iris recognition system at UK ports, which facilitates 'fast track' admission by the use of automatic booths, avoiding queues. Information about automatic iris recognition system is available on the UK Border Agency website.

To apply for a long-term visit visa, please contact our office to speak to our members of staff who will gladly advise you through the process.

HSMP JUDICIAL REVIEW - 1 August 2009

On 20 May 2009 the UK Border Agency (UKBA) put in arrangements that will benefit many HSMP visa holders following the judgement of 6 April 2009 in the judicial review brought by HSMP Forum Ltd. This relates to the continuous residence requirements to gain indefinite leave to remain in the UK. residence.

Please contact our office to see how this decsion could benefit you.

The UK Border Agency has already stated that they will withdraw the decision that led to the appeal or judicial review. The Uk Border Agency has released guidance on this and this can be viewed on their website by accessing the following link:

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier1/hsmp/hsmpjudicialreview/

The actual HSMP Forum Limited Judicial Review Policy document can be viewed by accessing the following link:

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/hsmpjudicialreview

Please contact our office to see if you could benefit from this exciting development or indeed how we can assist your application for Indefinite Leave to Remain.