Immigration Rules are changing all the time so old blog posts are out of date

I have been writing my immigration blogs since 2005 and in that time there have been monumental changes to UK Immigration Rules: points based system, Home Office split and UKBA formed then reverted back to Home Office, student visas encouraged then reigned in, Conservative government policy to slash immigration, work permits cutback, family migration, EU expansion, English language tests...to name but a few!

You name it, and the Home Office has changed it! UK immigration is a pale imitation to what is was when I started Immigration Matters. At that time, the labour government were encouraging immigration and expanding managed schemes to work, invest or study in the UK.

Fast forward almost 10 years and work permits are only issued to highly paid workers, international students are choosing other countries as the UK is no longer their first choice and families are being torn apart by draconian minimum income rules.

Anti-immigration party, UKIP, are breathing down Prime Minister's neck and have put immigration and the EU firmly on the political agenda ahead of the 2015 election.

EU and EEA immigration has expanded out of all expectation with millions of eastern Europeans settling in the UK, largely at the expense of non-EU migrants.

For the first time in years, the public has turned against immigration and most would like to see it frozen until the government has put in more infrastructure to cope with the population increase.

Will things swing back the other way? In the short term, no. However, these things are cyclical and with NHS hospitals and care providers suffering huge staff shortages, something has to give.

In the meantime, if you read any of my old blogs please take the time to check that the information is still current. The chances are it will be out of date. Even as I write there is yet another Immigration Bill going through Parliament to further restrict the rights of migrants and reduce human rights appeals.

If you need immigration advice or have overstayed your visa, email immigration@londonccs.com or visit http://conceptcaresolutions.com/page.php?id=15