UK Immigration News

This week the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) published a report that appeared to confirm that the long queues at Heathrow airport, along with the difficulties in applying for UK visas, are negatively affecting the UK's image to tourists.The research conducted by ETOA showed that hundreds of millions of pounds are lost to the UK economy every year because the visa process is too stringent; many applicants give up and decide to apply for visas for other countries.

Universities and colleges told MPs this week that they are being forced to spend millions of pounds to make sure that they comply with the UK's strict Tier 4 student visa rules.

Ireland's Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar is urging Ireland and the UK to create a joint UK-Ireland visa. He said tourists and business visitors should not need to apply for two separate visas for the UK and Ireland."This means that there are real opportunities to attract more high-value, high-spending visitors from rapidly growing economies like Brazil, India, China and Russia to both Britain and Ireland," Varadkar told the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

The UK Border Agency has been accused of detaining immigrant children in "degrading and disgraceful" conditions at Heathrow airport, according to an official watchdog, the Heathrow independent monitoring board (IMB).

The UK Border Agency will provide visa applicants from Antigua & Barbuda with a local Mobile Biometric Clinic on 18 May 2012. The one-time mobile biometric clinic will be located in St John's, Antigua.The mobile biometric clinic is by appointment only and there is an additional fee for using this service. People from the Eastern Caribbean wishing to apply for UK visas should apply as soon as possible so they can make sure they have an appointment. Normally applicants have to travel to Barbados or Jamaica in order to register their biometric information.

UK immigration staff are planning to stage a one-day strike in a dispute over public sector pensions. The strike, set for 10 May is expected to cause even further disruption and result in delays at several airports, including Heathrow.