Topical:
UK airports opened again at 22:00 on Tuesday 20 April 2010. Due to the Volcanic Eruption in Iceland and the resulting volcanic ash clouds for almost a whole week there was little or no air travel in Europe.
Canadian immigration is automatically extending the visa status of overseas nationals and providing other assistance to those who were unable to travel due to the recent flight restrictions caused by the Volcanic eruption in Iceland. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced the following:
The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull on Thursday resulted in a Europe wide ban on air travel that lasted almost a week. It was only on the evening of Tuesday this week that the ban was fully lifted. It has been estimated that 150,000 Britons were stranded overseas waiting to come home to the UK.
In the last week opinion polls have shown an increase in support for the Liberal Democrats who probably have more liberal policies on immigration than the Conservative or Labour Party. For example the Liberal Democrats would like an amnesty for people who have been in the UK illegally for ten years. An estimate by the London School of Economics for the number of illegal immigrants in the UK is 618,000.
It is now more difficult if you wish to come under an Australian business skills immigration program. Australian immigration has said the following:
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has said the following about travellers whose visas have expired and who have been unable to travel due to volcanic ash ending up in the atmosphere after the eruption beneath the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in south-western Iceland; "…We appreciate that this is due to exceptional circumstances beyond your control…" UKBA has also said that if your UK visa has already expired you should keep documentation confirming your travel plans showing that if the eruption had not occurred you would have left the UK in time and not become an overstayer.