The new Home Secretary, James Cleverly MP, has been busy since he was appointed to replace Suella Braverman just over five weeks ago. Amongst the Rwanda and Bibby Stockholm problems on his desk, he was also handed record net migration and an avalanche of pressure within his own party and beyond to tackle the numbers of people coming legally to the UK.

In the September Statement of Changes, the Youth Mobility visa category was expanded for Australian, Canadian, and Andorran nationals, effective from 31 January 2024, pursuant to trade agreements the UK has recently signed with those countries:

Those in the UK with Pre-Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme should not have to make a second application to preserve their rights to reside in the UK and will have their status automatically extended by the Home Office following a High Court ruling.

Following the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 receiving Royal Assent, the Home Office has introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation (“ETA”) scheme which was provided for in the Act. This is a new requirement for non-visa nationals travelling to the UK, who must apply for and be granted an ETA before travelling.

The guidance on acceptable Right to Work (“RTW”) checks has been changed many times over the last few years, triggered mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent drive for digitalisation across both the Home Office and businesses.

As announced in July, the increases to Government fees for immigration and nationality applications came into force on 4 October 2023. Most fees were increased by around 15% or 20%, with some more and some less, and others unaffected (for now).

As commissioned by the Government in August 2022, the Migration Advisory Committee (“MAC”) has published its long-awaited report following a major review into the Shortage Occupation List (“SOL"). It’s headline-grabbing recommendations include scrapping the SOL altogether. The reasons given are that it no longer serves the purposes for which it was originally intended.