Emigration to the Uk has heightened throughout the years and about the 1920's immigration tothe United Kingdom began from the previous colonies of the British Empire such as India, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, and Hong Kong. Others have come as asylum seekers, pursuing protection as refugees under the United Nations 1951 agreement, prohibited migrants, from the European Union member states exercising their agreement rights, and managed migration.
The recent United Nations 1951 Convention states that as the United Kingdom is a signatory to the convention, it has a function under international law not to return refugees to the country where they would risk mistreatment. This has had an effect on the immigration to Great Britainas the government policies are aimed to be strict on asylum.
Englandhas published that it has an growth in prohibited immigration by those who have entered England without permission, entered with false documents and overstayed their entry. In an article by David Barrett posted in the Telegraph on 20 February 2010 thousands of irregular immigrants were allowed squatters rights to remain in Great Britainpermanently after proving they have lived in the Uk for 14 years. The petition would be allowed on benevolent condition and taking into consideration any dishonest history of the applicant prior to deciding whether an unlawful immigrant will be granted to stay. If the immigrant is successful on his/her application, they will be entitled to apply for a British passport and will be allowed access to the welfare system.
Since the growth of the European Union in 2004, which the UK is a member of, the permission to the free movement of persons has been ratified in the European Union Directive and this has subsequently led toa growth of immigration to Great Britainfrom Europe. Immigrants from most parts of Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Malta and Cyprus have confirmed their commonwealth connection. The UK government have attempted to cap immigration to the UK from Europe by placing restriction to limit movement from Eastern Europe, especially Romania and Bulgaria.
The UK ministry also manages immigration to the UK through managed movement, that can be defined as all prescribed labour and student migration from outside the European Union. This area is managed by the UK Border Agency which is part of the Home Office. Immigration applications to the UK through this process are made at UK embassies or directly via the UK border Agency. The point based immigration method was introduced in 2006 that is composed of five tiers. Recently the UK government has brought in a temporary cap on immigration of those arriving in the UK from outside the EU.
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In conclusion, immigration to the UK has different entry requirements, depending on where the applicant comes from, all of which have very strict entry requirements.
We at Havillands & Co. Solicitors are national immigration advisers.
Visit our website for more information and to speak to an Immigration adviser directly.