Immigration and Migration

How to challenge closure of a bank account on immigration grounds

How to challenge closure of a bank account on immigration grounds The consequences from suddenly being cut off from a bank account in the modern world are significant. They are even greater for people with vulnerabilities. For a disabled client of mine, the decision threatened her ability to pay household bills, ...

Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #107

Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #107 Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on removals to France under the ‘one in one out’ scheme was published last week. Inspectors followed a removal flight to Paris in November 2025 and found that those ...

Man stranded abroad challenges Home Office deportation decision take whilst travelling

Man stranded abroad challenges Home Office deportation decision take whilst travelling Sohail Tasib, a 31-year-old Pakistani national who held indefinite leave to remain in the UK from the age of five, walked out of prison in 2020 following a 52-month sentence for serious drugs offences. Due to an administrative error, the ...

Job Ad: Legal Services Manager (Immigration Specialist) – London Black Women’s Project Salary: £41,000Hours: Full time / 35 hours a weekLocation: LBWP’s office in Newham, London. Flexible working will be consideredResponsible to: Head of Services / DirectorQualification requirement: Minimum IAA Level 2 Please note: Due to the nature of work and focus ...

High Court gives guidance on delay in applying for judicial review and human rights jurisdiction

High Court gives guidance on delay in applying for judicial review and human rights jurisdiction In the case of R (on the application of Fatima Omar Ali Ahmed Al Hashimi) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWHC 197 (Admin), the High Court dismisses the substantive nationality law challenge but in doing so ...

Job Ad: Strategic Casework Lead (Maternity Cover)

Job Ad: Strategic Casework Lead (Maternity Cover) About The Unity Project Who we are The Unity Project is a small charity that supports people with ‘Change of Conditions’ (CoC) applications required for access to public funds. Why we exist We want everyone living in the UK to ...

How to apply for a UK spouse or partner visa

How to apply for a UK spouse or partner visa Spouses and partners of British citizens or people settled in the UK can apply for a visa to join or remain with their loved ones. These applications are dealt with by the Home Office under the immigration rules. Specifically, the ...

Job Ad: Legal Director of ILPA Legal Director Job title: Legal Director Organisation: Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) Location: Hybrid. Primarily remote with one weekly hub day in London. Working arrangements may change. Deadline: 22 February 2026 at 23:59 Contract: Permanent and full time Salary: £58,000 to £62,360 per annum Contact: info@ilpa.org.uk Website: ilpa.org.uk ...

Court of Appeal criticises Upper Tribunal partial costs award to claimant

Court of Appeal criticises Upper Tribunal partial costs award to claimant In R (on the application of ABB) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2026] EWCA Civ 61 Judge Kebede of the Upper Tribunal had awarded a successful claimant only 75% of their legal costs on the basis that ...

Interested in writing for Free Movement? We’re recruiting contributors

Interested in writing for Free Movement? We’re recruiting contributors We are recruiting freelance contributors to Free Movement. If you can write fluently, you are interested in being read by a wide audience and you are fascinated by immigration law and practice then have a think about joining our small ...

Home Office introduces pilot to speed up children’s asylum claims

Home Office introduces pilot to speed up children’s asylum claims The Home Office have announced a new pilot aimed at reducing delays in processing asylum claims made by children. In short, the pilot encourages some children to attend a substantive interview without first submitting a statement of evidence form. Whilst ...

Labour’s earned settlement proposals: destroying a British success story

Labour’s earned settlement proposals: destroying a British success story In response to concerns about high levels of immigration, the Labour government has announced plans to increase the normal minimum period it takes for a migrant to be eligible for settled status from five years to ten years or longer. ...

Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #106

Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #106 Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! The long-awaited Cranston inquiry into the deaths of over 30 people attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat in November 2021 was published last week. It found that systemic failures, including chronic staff ...

Court of Appeal provides (some) guidance on the deportation of EU nationals for post-Brexit conduct

Court of Appeal provides (some) guidance on the deportation of EU nationals for post-Brexit conduct Which regime applies to the deportation of EU nationals who are convicted of criminal offences as a result of conduct after 31 December 2020? Is it solely the regime in national legislation, or something different? If it is something different ...

Permission granted in judicial review challenges to British citizenship ‘good character’ policy

Permission granted in judicial review challenges to British citizenship ‘good character’ policy On 11 February 2025 Free Movement reported on the Home Office’s amended policy guidance, published the day before, which changes how good character is assessed in British citizenship applications. These changes make it much harder for refugees and others who ...

Immigration roundup podcast: January 2026

Immigration roundup podcast: January 2026 In Sonia’s final episode, we cover the first substantive judgment concerning the use of “public order disqualification” powers in trafficking cases, an updated CPIN on Pakistan for LGBT+ people and the policy that’s pushing people in conflict zones to make ...

Youth Mobility visa: what is it and how does it work?

Youth Mobility visa: what is it and how does it work? A Youth Mobility visa enables people aged 18-30 (or 35 for some countries) to live and work in the UK, usually for up to two years. It used to be called the “working holiday-maker scheme” and some people may still ...

A fairer pathway? How the “earned settlement” proposals risk discriminating against migrant women

A fairer pathway? How the “earned settlement” proposals risk discriminating against migrant women We are hurtling towards the deadline for the government’s “earned settlement” consultation, ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement‘, which closes on 12 February 2026. Whilst there are many elements of the proposals which certainly cannot be considered “fair” to migrants living ...

New government memo on prosecution of asylum seekers and refugees A new Memorandum of Understanding between The Crown Prosecution Service, Immigration Enforcement, the National Crime Agency and National Policing on Immigration Crime has been published. It is dated 5 January 2026 although the final signature, that of Grace Ononiwu CBE ...

How to apply for a student visa

How to apply for a student visa The student visa is the main way to for individuals from overseas to come to the UK to study. It was introduced in 2020 replacing the Tier 4 (General) route. Studying in the UK is permitted on other visa routes, ...

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