Immigration Act 2016 - main highlights in a nutshell

After writing about some of the effects of the far reaching 2016 Immigration Act (or Law) on migrants wishing to work in the UK on a working visa, I received many questions about other issues.

You can read the whole Act here at the legislation.gov website (you would be surprised at how many lawyer don’t even read the entire Act), but if the you prefer a brief summary, see below.

What are the main points of the Immigration Act 2016?

Companies or employers who employ illegal migrants face criminal charges and this could also apply to the worker.

Visa overstayers and migrants who do not have permission to be in the UK could have their bank accounts can be frozen and their driver’s license confiscated.

For the first time a landlord to knowingly renting a property to an illegal migrant will be committing a criminal offence and could go to jail for up to five years.

The Home Office ‘deport first, appeal later’ scheme will apply to all migrants, not just convicted criminals with no residency rights or to people the Secretary of State considered in the ‘public good’ to remove.

Even migrants lodging a human rights or asylum claim will soon be removed to their home country pending the outcome of their appeal against the decision to remove them, except where removal would cause them ‘serious, irreversible harm’.

The new Immigration Act will have serious consequences for visa overstayers, illegal immigrants and human right claimants. If in doubt, seek legal advice.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s (pictured above) temporary ban on migrants entering the U.S. from a number of Muslim countries and been overruled by a Judge. Trump said he will press ahead and press ahead with the executive order, which does not need approval by Congress.

The digital revolution is also having far reaching effects on work in the UK and America. Millions lack the right skills, but I am convinced that you can work from home and make money online provided you have the right internet training and support and real products of value to market.

See also:

Minimum Salary for Tier 2 Work Permits to Rise to £30,000 as UK Immigration gets Tougher for Non-EU Migrants

1.5 million work in UK digital economy, but are you ready for the next economic revolution?

7 Steps to Making Money Online with Amazon

Criminal offence to rent property to illegal immigrants - guilty landlords face 5 years in jail

Last year was momentous for the UK – the vote to leave the European Union or 'Brexit', a new UK Prime Minister (Theresa May), a new U.S. President elect, Donald Trump, who will be sworn in this Friday, as well more new Immigration Rules from the Home Office.

Trump has promised to get tough on undocumented migrants by, among other measures, ending the rights of so-called 'anchor babies' - born on American soil to undocumented migrants - to obtain U.S. Citizenship. In the UK, unlike the U.S., citizenship is not granted by virtue of being born here. However, human rights grounds have been widely used to legalise the parents of children born in the UK.

In February 2016, I informed my readers that, as part of Government plans to crack down on illegal immigration, private landlords in England should be carrying out mandatory "right-to-rent" checks on tenants for all new tenancies, Many do not know how or perhaps don't bother. They should start learning, and fast. Landlords can be fined up to £3000 for letting a property to anyone who does not have the right to reside in the UK. 

But things are about to get even tougher under new rules recently announced by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

From 1 December, the Home Office made it a criminal offence if a landlord knows or have “reasonable cause to believe” that their property is occupied by someone who is disqualified due to their immigration status. Convicted landlords can face a jail term of up to 5 years - yes, PRISON, and a criminal record. 

The National Landlords Association (NLA) say landlords may avoid a criminal conviction provided they have a 'robust defence' and can demonstrate that they have taken appropriate steps to check a tenant's immigration status. 

The new Home Office restrictions will make it more difficult for visa overstayers and illegal immigrants to rent accommodation. They are already finding it harder to open a bank account or work in the UK without a work permit or the correct UK visa.

Landlords must carry out proper checks and keep records to prove it. The civil penalties still apply in addition to the new criminal offence for more serious cases.

I hope 2017 will be a good year for you, whether you want to earn more money, travel, stay healthy or just be happy!