UK Immigration News

UK immigration has revised the guidance notes for all Tier 1 visa categories today. The changes include revised policy guidance for all Tier 1 visa categories to include a paragraph about the circumstances under which UK Border Agency officials will contact applicants about missing or incorrect documents.

UK immigration has announced new rules that UK immigration says will reduce abuse of the student visa route. UK Immigration Minister Damian Green announced the complete list of changes today.We have already reported on the forthcoming closure of the Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa route on 6 April 2012. Under this visa, students are able to work in the UK for 2 years following graduation. There will be a new Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa. However, hardly anyone will qualify for this.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has announced proposed fee increases for UK visa and nationality applications. Immigration Minister Damien Green said the new fees will come into effect from 6 April 2012; Parliamentary approval should only be a formality."It is only fair that those who use and benefit from the immigration system contribute a higher share of the cost of running it - reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer," said Green.

UK immigration has announced new measures to make it easier for foreign students who have shown entrepreneurial flair while studying for their UK university degrees to remain in the UK following graduation.

A former UK education minister claims that stricter immigration rules are harming UK universities because they are missing out on students from India. Labour's former education minister Baroness Blackstone has stated her concerns in a debate in the House of Lords; She said that this could be bad for universities who rely on funding from foreign students.She said the UK risked putting itself in a "very unfortunate position" when it came to attracting overseas students.

UK Immigration is pushing to install facial recognition technology at London's Heathrow airport for the Olympics. UK Border Agency (UKBA) originally planned to install facial recognition technology in all five of its terminals in time for the Olympics but there have been several delays in getting the system up and running.Last July, UKBA received approval to install e-gates facial recognition technology at Heathrow airport that allows registered non-EU nationals to use electronic self-service immigration controls.