Domestic workers in visa protest

Hundreds of domestic workers have protested outside parliament against proposed changes in the visa system which campaigners warn will leave people ‘open to abuse or exploitation’.

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Source: BBC News

Change to sponsorship payment methods

From 1 October 2011 the UK Border Agency will no longer accept cheque payments for certificates of sonsorship (CoS) , confirmation of acceptance to study (CAS) and sponsor applications; only online payments will be accepted for these transactions. From this date it will not be possible for you to select cheque as a payment option when making online applications for licences, certificates of sonsorship or confirmation of acceptance to study. The current payment facilities for Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) applications and renewals and sponsor action plans will remain unchanged.  UKBA have removed the provision to pay by cheque for the following reasons:  cheque payments account for only a small minority of payments, making them costly to process;  online payments are more efficient; and online payments compliment the existing online services UKBA offer.  You will be able to make a payment via the online payment facility using any of the following: Visa (debit or credit);  American Express;  Delta;  MasterCard; and Maestro.

If you currently pay for services by cheque you should make arrangements to have an appropriate payment method in place to pay online by 1 October if you wish to assign certificates of sonsorship or confirmation of acceptance to study or apply for sponsor licences from that date.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsfragments/51change-sponsorship-payment

Relatives to lose visa appeal rights

Overseas relatives of British families are set to have their right to appeal against refused visa applications terminated, according to a leaked Home Office policy paper.

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Source: Guardian

Visas suspended at Glasgow Caledonian University

Glasgow Caledonian University has had its overseas student visa license suspended after claims that student nurses have been working too many hours. The university is the first to have its license suspended.

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Source: Glasgow Herald

Britain gives Kusa six-month visa

The six-month visa was issued following a request by Foreign Secretary William Hague from the Home Office and authorizes the “alleged war criminal” and former Muammar Gaddafi intelligence chief to freely travel to and from Britain, The Sun reported.

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Chernobyl’s children refused entry to the UK

Victims of the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster are being denied visas by the UK Border Agency which are needed to take part in a charity respite holiday scheme in the UK.

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Applying for a Spouse Visa at a British Embassy

If you are married to a foreign person and you are settled in the UK and want to bring your spouse over to the UK, your spouse will need to make an application to the British Embassy to apply for entry clearance to enter the UK as the spouse of a British citizen or a person who has indefinite leave to remain. Read more

New UK immigration fees

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New route for highly skilled migrants

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UKBA Suspends Tier 4 Student Applications

UKBA – The UK Border Agency has announced that, from 1 February 2010, it is not accepting any new applications under the Tier 4 student route of the points-based system at the following visa application centres:

• North India – New Delhi, Jalandhar and Chandigarh
• Bangladesh – Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong
• Nepal – Kathmandu

The head of the points-based system at the UK Border Agency, Jeremy Oppenheim, said: ‘The points-based system gives us the flexibility to act to maintain the integrity of the visa system, while processing legitimate applications fairly, thoroughly and as quickly as possible.

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