UK Visa/Passport News

Over 3 million people have applied through the EU Settlement Scheme, to continue living in the UK after June 30, 2021. Announcing the news, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she is feeling delighted about the number of applicants that wish to continue to live in the UK post-Brexit.  “I’m delighted that there have already been more than 3 million applications to the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme. It’s the biggest scheme of its kind in British history [...]

Turkish entrepreneurs will be able to develop their businesses in the UK normally until the end of this year when the Brexit transition period comes to an end. The special UK visa that is dedicated for business persons from Turkey will be functional until December 31, 2020, when the transition period in the UK ends, according to Turkey’s London ambassador Ümit Yalçın. “The UK has left the EU as of Jan. 31, 2020. However, it will abide [...]

The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has made a proposal for “Scottish Visa” as an option alongside the other UK visas that are set to be introduced post-Brexit. But the plan has immediately been turned down by the Home Office who said that immigration would remain a “reserved matter”. Sturgeon’s strategy, announced in Edinburgh on Monday morning, last week, declared that migration is an issue which is crucial for the future, even though the Scottish Government [...]

The United Kingdom’s three and a half years wish to be out of the European Union has now finally been revived.  It all happened around midnight, on 31 January 2020, when the people's wish “expressed” on a referendum came to life. After 47 years of membership, the UK has officially left the European Union, causing a lot of debate in the UK and worldwide, if this decision was the right thing to do. For this historic moment, [...]

The United Kingdom government has announced it would open the new Global Talent visa route on February 20, through which it attempts to lure the world's brightest scientists, researchers, and mathematicians. The new route, which will replace the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route, will have no cap on the number of beneficiaries. Applications will be fast-tracked, and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will endorse applicants from the scientific and research community, for the first time ever. [...]

The United Kingdom has decided to double the number of eligible fellowships that can offer accelerated processing for scientist visas for foreigners wishing to conduct research in the UK. The number will go up from 62 to over 120 a press release issued by the UK Home Office announces. According to this press release, foreign scientists who receive these fellowships will need to provide a letter issued by the relevant funding organization, in addition to the regular [...]

About a week ahead of the United Kingdom’s general elections set to be held on December 12, the Conservative Party has pledged to introduce a scheme that would oblige nationals of the European Union Member Countries to obtain an online travel authorization in order to enter the UK, given that the Tories win the upcoming elections. According to the Tories, the scheme would resemble the ones several other countries use as the Electronic Travel Authorization System (ESTA) [...]

Immigrant rights campaigners of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) have begun a legal case to find out how the UK Home Office algorithm used to filter UK visa applications actually works. The move has been taken in a bid to expose how artificial intelligence affects immigration policies. Supported by Foxglove, a new advocacy group promoting justice in the new technology sector, the JCWI wants to force the UK Home Office into revealing the [...]

The UK Home Office has launched a new wave of advertising in a bid to encourage more EU citizens that wish to live in the UK post-Brexit to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. The new campaign, which is worth £1 million, builds on the £3.75 million campaign allocated for full supporting of the Scheme, last March. According to a press release of the UK government, the outdoor advertising in around 2,400 places across the UK will [...]

The UK’s new Innovator Visa has been called too limiting after only two applicants (out of a total of four applications) received the visa in the first three months of its launch. In contrast, the Start-up visa, which was introduced at the same time, received 32 applications in its first three months, out of which 23 were successful. The Innovator Visa is part of the changes which the UK government has made to its immigration rules in [...]