Barar and Associates News

Minimum salary threshold for UK work permits The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)* recently provided a helpful response to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the minimum salary threshold for UK work permits. Different regional salary thresholds One of the main issues with the current UK work permit system is that the minimum salary requirement […]

Update on the Tier 2 of the points-based system The Tier 2 of the points-based system was recently updated. As outlined in our previous series of news articles, the Tier 2 category allows UK employers to recruit skilled workers to fill a particular vacancy they cannot fill with a worker from the UK domestic workforce. […]

No deal Brexit – Update Right to entry and stay in the UK for EEA nationals and their family members   Brexit is coming. Here are some recent updates that you may want to know in case of no deal Brexit. The UK Government has issued a statement of changes in the Immigration Rules on […]

Statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme EU nationals and their family members residing in the UK are required to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme until December 2020. In order to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, they should complete the following steps: – proof of identity – evidence of residence in the UK – […]

Update on English language requirement for Tiers 1 and 2 visa applications English Language requirement is one of the requirements which must be met by applicants for Tiers 1, 2 and 4 visas. This requirement is of great significance under the UK Immigration Rules. By providing relevant valid documents where possible, an applicant would be […]

Immigration status for EU nationals and their family after Brexit Coming soon, as everyone is now aware, Brexit will have a significant effect on EU nationals and their family members residing in the UK. It is interesting to note that Irish citizens’ right to reside in the UK should not be affected by Brexit because […]

We are very excited and proud to announce the launch of our Family Law department. The new department will be open from 30th September 2019 and will be headed by Dean Vickery. The Family Law department will supplement our main area of expertise, UK Immigration and Nationality law to provide a better service for our […]

2-year post-study work visa for international students and other changes   2-year post-study work visa for international students The UK government has announced that all international students on Tier 4 visa who graduate from a UK university can apply for a 2-year visa to work or look for work in the UK. This new visa […]

Does the Home Office have a hidden agenda against LGBT Asylum Claims? The Home Office has been guilty of refusing at least 3,100 LGBT asylum claims from nationals whose countries of origin criminalise consensual same-sex acts. According to analysis from the Liberal Democrats for figures published by the Home Office between 2016-2018, 1,197 LGBT Pakistanis […]

Common Travel Area provisions and the Isle of Man in respect of Tier 1 Entrepreneur The closure of the UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur route and its replacement by the Innovator route have made it more difficult for business individuals with bright ideas to establish and run businesses in the United Kingdom. However, the Isle of […]

Update on sponsor’s duties to keep records Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors have a duty to keep records of some specific documents when sponsoring migrants. This duty is extremely important under the UK Immigration Rules. The specific documents can be kept either as paper copies or in an electronic format. However, they must be […]

Is Priti Patel the right appointment as the Home Secretary? As Britain enters a new era of uncertainty under the leadership of Boris Johnson, it is his appointment of a new Home Secretary which is causing immediate anxiety to the British public. The appointment of Priti Patel as Home Secretary has left some people both […]

The Prime Minister’s and the Home Secretary’s proposal for the new Immigration system The newly appointed Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is aiming to scrutinise the UK Immigration system. The review of the current system and its radical overhaul will be conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee and will be based on the migrants’ skills. It […]

Immigrants – the UK’s army of heroes “They are here to take our jobs”; this phrase is often the opinion of some people in certain parts of the UK when asked what they think of immigrants. The UK is an ideal country to work and people from all over the world do come here to […]

Evidence in Court – Credibility SA (Iran) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWHC 2575 This case assesses the credibility of witnesses and how witness statements can add reliability to another witness’ evidence.  Facts The Claimant was a national of Iran. She entered the United Kingdom with her son in September 2007 […]

Evidence in Court – Witness Statements How much can a Judge rely on evidence given by witnesses in court? Especially, where there are discrepancies in the witnesses’ oral evidence given in court, can the Judge completely disregard them on the basis that they are not credible? The case of AK (Turkey) explores this issue which […]

UKVCAS: Assisted scanning charges when submitting immigration application in the UK   Assisted scanning charges will be added to UKVCAS for immigration application submitted in the UK.   What is UKVCAS? The Home Office launched its new digitalised services for visa applications called UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) in November 2018. For more […]

Settlement/Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom Barar & Associates is happy to provide some useful information for people with or seeking settlement/indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) Individuals who possess (ILR) or (ILE), have no time limit on their ability […]

Is Outsourcing of the Visa System Allowing Sopra Steria to Make a Profit ? As a result of the outsourcing of the visa system to the French firm Sopra Steria, some applicants are being forced to pay extortionate fees and travel long distances in order to apply for a UK visa, which in turn is […]

To pay or not to pay – migrant workers’ salaries One of the underlying problems with the UK’s current immigration system is linked to the salaries of experienced workers. Experienced workers are defined as: Any student holding a Tier 4 Student visa switching into Tier 2 at the aged of 26 or over on the […]