UK Immigration News

On 22 July 2009 the Border Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 went into force. Customs and Immigration officers now work together and have the power to ask questions relating to both immigration and customs matters. Many passengers will now only need to deal with one checkpoint. On 5 August 2009 4,500 HM Revenue and Customs staff will formally become part of the UK Border Agency.

On 14 July 2009 the UKBA announced that the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill is being considered by Parliament. The Government in the bill intends to make a number of changes to British nationality law.

There has been a significant increase in the numbers of people applying and being approved for UK citizenship. This year as many as a quarter of a million people may gain UK citizenship,

UK Citizenship Statistics:

It is perhaps not surprising that the UK Border Agency whose job it is to enforce the UK immigration laws has turned down the idea of an immigration amnesty.

A study commissioned by the London Mayor Boris Johnson suggests that an immigration amnesty would lead to a GBP3 billion boost to the economy. The London School of Economics study also concludes that an amnesty would not lead to large scale illegal immigration; Britain's border controls would prevent this happening. The report's findings were welcomed by Johnson.

The main points in the report are as follows:

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has announced that De La Rue has won the contract to produce the new British passport. The contract is worth £400 million.